Homemade gazpacho: from soil to soup, not shelf

There are days when you just don’t want to set foot in the kitchen. The mere thought of heat makes you sluggish. Everything sticks, the sun is high, even the cats refuse to move. On days like that, you don’t want a meal. You want relief. You want something that feels like a dive — but in a bowl. So: homemade gazpacho.

Not the kind that comes in a plastic bottle, not the watery supermarket version that tastes like tomato juice left out too long. I mean gazpacho the way it’s meant to be: cool, thick, spicy and fresh all at once. A dish that doesn’t start with a recipe — it starts with a garden.

Not a recipe, but a state of mind

My gazpacho usually starts with whatever’s around. Tomatoes — of course. Red pepper, cucumber, garlic. Stale bread, a splash of vinegar, olive oil. No measurements, no stress. Just roughly chop everything, let it sit for a bit, then blend. And then: rest. At least two hours in the fridge.

And then: a spoon. Cold, creamy, full of spice. As if, just for a moment, you’re somewhere else — in the shade of an old tree, feet in the grass, nothing on your mind.

What my garden brings to the table

This year, a wild variety of basil is growing in my pots. A bit sharper in scent, slightly spicier. A few of those leaves, blended in, work wonders. Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon. Or a chunk of watermelon, if the tomatoes are a little too firm.

And then I serve it with chunky pieces of bell pepper on top. Or with absolutely nothing extra. Because that works too.

The difference isn’t in the soup

What makes homemade dishes special — just like this gazpacho — isn’t the ingredients themselves. It’s the realisation that you can’t make this with just supermarket stuff. You have to wait for the season. For the tomatoes to be truly ripe. For that moment when your body craves cold on your tongue.

That waiting — that’s what makes the difference. And that’s exactly what gardening teaches you.

This story is part of our June special: The Month of the Kitchen Garden. Discover how we sow, harvest, cook, and celebrate — Costa style.