Clodagh McKenna's gazpacho with cucumber and dill salsa

Blitz and chill — a delicious route to refreshment
Clodagh McKenna
Clodagh McKenna7 August 2019

Making gazpacho is just a case of chopping and blending. Easy. The main thing is to make sure the tomatoes are ripe. The best way to ripen tomatoes is to place them in a brown paper bag with a banana. Sounds odd but it works. And never store your tomatoes in the fridge, as they won’t ripen and flavour properly.

Once you have made the gazpacho, put it in the fridge for an hour as it should be served chilled. The cucumber and dill salsa adds texture, and you could also throw in croutons if you wish. When I am having parties, I serve the gazpacho in small glasses — it is so refreshing and healthy.

It can also be served with pintxos. Lace a selection (see my list below) on boards and plates in the middle of the table and let everyone build their own skewer.

I use sprigs of fresh rosemary instead of wooden skewers. Just remove two-thirds of the leaves (sprinkle the leaves over the mozzarella, olives or sun-blushed tomatoes). The sprig of rosemary not only looks great but it also scents whatever you skewer on to it.

Gazpacho with cucumber & dill salsa

Serves 6

Cook time: none

Prep time: 15 minutes

Serve with: Poggio Castagno Chianti Classico, available at Waitrose, £11.99

My pintxos

  •  Mini mozzarella balls with fresh rosemary and extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top 
  •  Salami and prosciutto 
  •  Sun-blushed tomatoes 
  •  Fresh basil 
  •  Parmesan cheese 
  •  Olives, rosemary and thinly sliced garlic 

Ingredients

  • 100g slightly stale crusty white or sourdough bread 
  • 1kg very ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 2 scallions, chopped 
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 200ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2tbsp sherry vinegar
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the salsa

  • ½ cucumber, diced 
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped 
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

Method

1. Place the tomatoes, bread, peppers, cucumber, garlic, scallions, sherry vinegar and olive oil in a food processor and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth, then place in the fridge for an hour to chill.

2. To make the cucumber and dill salsa, mix the ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Pour the gazpacho into bowls and spoon the salsa on top.

Follow Clodagh on Instagram @clodagh_mckenna

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