Michael’s recipes: Gazpacho – the perfect summer alfresco starter

June 6, 2024 | Foodie bites | 4 minute read

The Victoria’s Head Chef, Michael Chamberlain, is back with another of his wonderful recipes for you to create at home (or enjoy at The Vic!).

This gazpacho is served with black olive tapenade croutes, and we believe it’s the perfect summer starter for an alfresco dinner party. And what’s even better is that it can be prepared in advance, so you can spend more time having fun.

Gazpacho is a light, fresh soup that doesn’t require cooking, and is served cold, making it lovely and refreshing. It originiated from the Andalusia region of Spain, and has now become a popular dish throughout Spain and Portugal… and now Norfolk, too!

Try this simple gazpacho recipe this summer.

Gazpacho with black olive tapenade croutes

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients

For the gazpacho:

1kg ripe plum tomatoes, quartered and eyes removed

1 large cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped

1 large green pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped

1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons good quality olive oil

2 tablespoons spoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 slice of thick sliced white bread, crust removed and roughly chopped

For the tapenade:

150g of pitted black olives finely chopped

1 tablespoon of capers finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped or grated

6 anchovies finely chopped (optional) – leave these out to make the dish vegan or vegetarian

1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar 

2-3 tablespoons spoons of good rapeseed oil (or olive oil)

For the croutes:

2–3 slices of bread cut into fingers – we use focaccia, but any bread will work

2 tablespoons of good oil

Method

For the gazpacho:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz together until smooth. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor.

Once blitzed, place it in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 4-6 hours and up to 3 days. If blitzed in batches, give it a good mix with a whisk first and again when you get it out.

For the tapenade:

Mix all the chopped ingredients with the red wine vinegar in a bowl.

Stir in the oil slowly (you may not need it all) while mixing until it makes a paste.

Store in the fridge until required and for up to 3 days.

For the croutes:

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Drizzle the bread fingers with the oil and bake for 6-8 minutes until crisp.

Allow to cool before topping with the tapenade to serve.

Once cooled these can also be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

It really is that simple! Why not give this recipe a try at home this summer. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook if you do – we’d love to see!

And if you prefer eating rather than cooking, why not book a table to try this gazpacho, and the rest of The Victoria’s summer menu, which launches on 11th June? We’ve had a tasting, and can confirm it’s all delicious! Browse our menus, or book your table here.