A Very Regal Appetizer
It wasn’t until I spent some time in warmer climes that I realised the appeal of the cold soup. The first time I was offered the dish, I can honestly say that I very courteously declined the offer and tucked into a cold salad instead. I wish I had known at the time what I know now. How wrong I was to turn away such a refreshing dish.
Gazpacho – is generally a cold soup made with raw vegetables. It is tends to be made from a fresh tomato base. But let’s face it, The Glass House Girls like to mix it up a little. I have experimented with lots of different Gazpacho recipes, from Apple and Celery to Cucumber and Mint – but my favourite incarnation of this wonderful dish is one I tweaked and perfected myself with the ingredients I found in my fridge.
It is the perfect appetizer or snack any time of year…especially when wanting to watch your figure!
In my humble opinion, this is a starter or appetizer fit for a Queen (or a Duchess at least) and the sparkling of the pomegranate seeds gives it that slight touch of ruby elegance.
- A blender
- A ladle
- 5/10 ripe strawberries.
- Half a pomegranate (or the equivalent in pomegranate seeds.)
- 1 large red pepper (and yes it has to be red… otherwise it will discolour this beautiful dish)
- 3 beef tomatoes (or vine tomatoes/but make sure they are large)
- The juice of half a lime
- Half a cucumber
- Chilli (you can use half a hot red chilli, or chilli flakes… and this is to your taste – but not too much! You don’t want to overpower the strawberry.)
- Garlic – 1/2 cloves is more than enough
- Sea salt
- Fresh basil
- Cayenne pepper/or milled black pepper
- This bit is really easy. Chop up the tomatoes and pepper into chunks.
- Dice up the cucumber.
- Put them all into the blender.
- Crush up the garlic and add that.
- Add the chilli and salt (but not the pepper yet) to taste and don’t forget to add the strawberries.
- Just before you blend, don’t forget to add the lime juice. You need something to cut through the sweetness.
- Taste the Gazpacho and decide if any more chilli is needed.
- When you are happy, ladle into a nice bowl and top with sparkling red ruby pomegranate seeds and a sprinkling of fresh milled pepper.
