I didn’t grow up on chilled soups. The closest I got when I was young were bowls of ice-cream left to melt before eating. But there now comes a point every summer when chilled soups are all I want. When it’s too hot to move, cold soups promise refreshment and nourishment: according to Spanish chef José Pizarro, they are “electrolytes in a glass”.
Among the many varieties, gazpacho tops my list. A smooth or textured soup classically made with tomatoes, it encompasses any cold soup made from raw ingredients. Pizarro’s mother makes one with melon. His favourite is a version made by blending tomatoes with garlic, salt and pepper and slowly adding extra virgin olive oil to create “a silky-smooth emulsion”. “When it’s 40 degrees out, a cold gazpacho is necessary,” he says. “Your body is replenished.”
Chilled roast tomato soup with figs, from The Spanish Pantry by José Pizarro (Quadrille) © Emma Lee
When it’s 40 degrees out, a cold gazpacho is necessary. Your body is replenished
José Pizarro
