Gazpacho with Crispy Chickpea “Croutons”
Gazpacho is a classic, cold Spanish soup that's known for its refreshing and vibrant flavors. In fact, the best bowl of gazpacho I ever had was in Seville, Spain. I ordered it on a hot day during the Spanish summer and it was the perfect dish to eat. When I got home I wanted to recreate it but without all of the crusty bread typically served with it. So I figured out how to turn chickpeas into "croutons."
Equipment
Ingredients
Chickpea "Crouton" Ingredients
- 15 1/2 ounces chickpeas one can, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Gazpacho Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion roughly chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1 large cucumber peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 large tomatoes roughly chopped
- 3 fresh garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice divided
- 1/4 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 medium avocado
- sprigs of fresh basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
Making Chickpea Croutons
- Place top oven rack in the center position and pre-heat oven to 400 F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with one tablespoon of olive oil, ground cumin and smoked paprika. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine.
- Spread seasoned chickpeas onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the pre-heated oven to roast until golden-brown and crispy, approximately 15-20 minutes. For more uniform results, turn the chickpeas or give the pan a good shake halfway through cooking.
- Once the chickpeas are golden and crispy, remove from oven and set aside to cool. They will become crispier as they cool. Store in an airtight container if using the next day.
Making the Gazpacho
- Finely dice one quarter of the red onion, bell pepper and cucumber. Set aside.
- Place the tomatoes, plus the remaining red onion, bell pepper and cucumber in a food processor or high-powered blender. Add the garlic, water, red wine vinegar, two tablespoons lemon juice and fresh herbs. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste and quickly pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth.
- Transfer the gazpacho to a large glass or other non-reactive bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight to chill.
- Right before serving, dice the avocado and toss with the remaining tablespoon lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
- Transfer the chilled soup into individual serving bowls and top with some of the finely diced red onion, bell pepper and cucumber. Garnish with the crispy chickpeas, diced avocado and sprigs of fresh herbs, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
Blending the fresh herbs with the vegetables yields a more robust, uniform flavor. However, this also affects the color of the finished soup. For a brighter red color, don’t blend the fresh herbs with the other ingredients when preparing. Finely mince and stir them in after blending, instead.
Assuming you're using red tomatoes, you'll have a red gazpacho. However, if you do want to play around with color, outside of blending the herbs, you can use heirloom tomatoes in various colors, such as yellow, orange or purple.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 10gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 24mgPotassium: 942mgFiber: 11gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2785IUVitamin C: 73mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 4mg
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values, if included with the recipe, are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability/substitution and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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