Barcelona’s hot and humid climate has arrived. Summer is here and we love it! You may however ask how we remain hydrated, refreshed, nutritious and energised throughout these intense summer months without oppressing our appetite for varied and delicious meals. The secret is, we have many befitting meals. One of our favourites for keeping healthy during the summer is the infamous chilled gazpacho soup.
Before we share our favourite gazpacho recipe with you, let us give you the low down on this ancient soup with its vast health benefits.
Believed to have been brought to Spain by the Romans, gazpacho was a typical meal of peasants in the south of Spain. Now extensively consumed throughout the country due to its refreshing and healthy properties and formidable ingredients, gazpacho typically includes six key ingredients: tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, onions, garlic and olive oil. With its strong tomatoe base, gazpacho can be attributed for its wealth of nutrients and antioxidant properties helping to prevent several types of cancer, improve heart health and eye health, as well as contributing to repairing hair and skin damage.
Here’s our favourite recipe for this simple bowl of delicious antioxidant goodness. We prefer it raw, healthy and gluten free.
INGREDIENTS

• 16 oz of tomatoes (blended)
• 2 cucmbers
• 12 oz roasted red peppers (blended)
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teasoon of smoked paprika
• assorted chopped vegetables and herbs of your choice (for garnish). We like parsley, avocado, celery and tomatoes

METHOD

• Simply blend the ingredients to your desired consistency – smooth or chunky are both delightful
• Chill the soup in the refrigerator. Allowing it to sit overnight so the flavours can infuse
• Finely dice your vegetables and herbs for garnish. Be careful not to puree them
• Serve your soup in your favourite bowl or mug at home to sip, or simply decant it into a container to take away and drink later.

You need not worry if you don’t have the time nor a kitchen to make your gazpacho. You can buy a delicious gazpacho in almost any supermarket in Spain. The brand we like most is Alvalle – simply delightful! 
Or if dining out is your preference there is a very nice traditional family run restaurant in Barcelona (over 70 years old) called L’Havana, where we crave a bowl of their smooth, chilled, cucumber free gazpacho. Just ask for a dish of Salmorejo (the cucumber free version) and I’m sure you will not regret it.
  
Buen provecho
Your La Pedrera team