Gazpacho Verde
You can make this soup spicy or mild depending on the type of pepper you use. You can also provide some chopped spicy chili peppers as garnish and let people choose how spicy they want to make it.
Ingredients
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled
- 2 green onions, roots and dark green ends removed, roughly chopped
- 1 small pepper, stem removed (Padron or Shishito for mild flavor, jalapeño for spicy)
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, or other flavorful green lettuce, end removed, coarsely chopped
- 2 handfuls of mixed herbs, choose from mint, parsley, basil, tarragon or other soft green herbs, stems removed
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1¼ cups cold water or more as needed
Optional Garnish Ideas
- Thin slices of radish
- Thin slices of tomato
- Chopped chives or other herbs
- A few drops of olive oil
- Thin slices of cucumber
- Ice cubes (great when serving on a hot day)
- A fan of avocado slices
- Chopped chili peppers
Instructions
- Place the garlic, green onions and pepper in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few times until puréed. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and water and as much of the lettuce and herbs as will fit and purée. Add the rest of the lettuce and herbs and continue to purée. Add additional cold water if needed to achieve a pourable soup-like consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or until ready to serve. If the herbs have all floated to the top, just reblend briefly to combine.
- Serve in small bowls or small glasses garnished with a couple or more of the optional garnishes, as desired. You can also set out bowls of garnishes and let each person garnish to taste.