A specialty of Spain and Portugal, gazpacho is a cold raw vegetable peasant soup originating in Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain. Originally made from old bread, olive oil and garlic, the recipe was in use when the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula (218-19 B.C.E.).

The name is of Arabic origin, and literally means “soaked bread”; the original recipe came from the Arabs who occupied much of Spain from the 8th through the 13th centuries.

Although gazpacho is traditionally a textured soup—made in the days before food processors—today the term has become generic for any cold vegetable soup. But early on, it was a way for field workers to make lunch from the vegetables at hand, and stale bread was added to the recipes.

Today, an Andalusian recipe typically includes stale bread, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, onion, tomato, wine vinegar and salt.

This “red gazpacho” is a relatively recent addition: The tomato, a new world fruit originally the size of the cherry tomato, was brought back to Europe from the New World by the Spanish conquistadors as a houseplant. It was not eaten until the 1800s*; the first documented tomato sauce recipe in Italy is from 1839.

There are many variations of gazpacho, depending on local preferences. American recipes tend to leave out the bread, although some may garnish the soup with garlic croutons.

White gazpacho is made with olive oil, sherry vinegar, bread, garlic and salt, and substitutes green grapes and almonds for the vegetables. We’ve included a white gazpacho recipe, ajoblanco, below.

Gazpacho is a warm weather dish. In Spain it can be found in any bar or restaurant from May to September.

[1] Tomato-based gazpacho (photo courtesy Add Some Life | Facebook.

According to Foods From Spain, Empress Eugenia (Eugenie) de Montijo was the first to popularize gazpacho outside of Spain. She insisted on serving it at her wedding banquet when she married Napoleon III in 1853.

While we don’t know which recipe she requested, it was no doubt one of the many evolutions of the original gazpacho recipe.

Flash forward to medieval times: Moor invaders (711 C.E.) added almonds to the recipe, giving birth to ajoblanco, the forerunner of modern gazpacho. Before tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers were brought back from the New World, gazpacho was white. (Ajoblanco means white garlic.)

Spaniards then made that recipe their own by adding grapes, both blended into the soup and as a garnish.

Over the centuries, gazpacho has evolved in many directions. The blender and food processor have enabled versions with creamy textures. The common ingredients remain olive oil, garlic and salt.

You can find gazpacho in shades of green, red, white and yellow. You can find it made thickly, with the texture of a dip rather than a soup. The classic gazpacho of Seville is made with tomato, cucumber, garlic, onion, green pepper, bread, salt, a dash of sherry vinegar and olive oil, and is usually seasoned with cumin.
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*A member of the Nightshade family of plants, the tomato was deemed poisonous until it was eaten out of desperation during a famine in the early 1800s in Italy. The original tomato was the cherry tomato, which made an attractive house plant. History of the tomato.

RECIPE: AJOBLANCO, COLD ALMOND & GARLIC SOUP

In this recipe from Foods From Spain, prep time is 20-30 minutes, plus chilling time. For a wine pairing, consider a dry white Muscatel from Spain.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. CRUSH the garlic cloves with the pepper and salt, preferably with a mortar and pestle (you can use a processor).

2. SOAK the breadcrumbs in water, then drain and add with the almonds to the garlic mixture.

3. CONTINUE to crush (or grind) as you gradually pour in the olive oil, working the mixture until it is is fluid and smooth. Gradually add the water until you achieve the desired density.

4. ADD the vinegar and any extra salt if necessary. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
 
 
MORE GAZPACHO RECIPES

 
Plus:

This summer squash is very low in calories—33 calories for a medium zucchini.

There are many wonderful ways to serve zucchini:

 
Two of our favorite recipes are below. To make them, treat yourself to the new Microplane Spiral Cutter, a tool that quickly and effortlessly transforms zucchini—as well as carrots, cucumbers, radishes and other vegetables—into elegant spiral cuts and ribbons.

[1] Food fun with the new Microplane Spiral Cutter (photo © Microplane).

Resembling an old-school manual pencil sharpener in both style and function, the Spiral Cutter has two razor-sharp (surgical steel!) slicing barrels to accommodate different vegetables—the small barrel for long, slim vegetables such as carrots, the large barrel for cucumbers, summer squash and other, broader vegetables.

It debuts this month in Black and Green for a suggested retail of $14.95. Learn more at Microplane.com.

Then, you’ll be set to whip up this delicious salad:
 
 
RECIPE #1: SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE # 1: THAI-STYLE ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD (BASED ON SOM TUM, THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD)

We love green papaya salad, som tum. We can easily eat two appetizer portions at our local Thai restaurant.

Our favorite guest blogger, Hannah Kaminsky, agrees. “Served chilled, the tender yet crisp strands of unripe papaya are cooling, yet still popping with bursts of heat from abundant flecks of chili peppers. Brightly acidic, tangy, and slightly salty, with just a touch of sweetness to take the edge off, every component must be in perfect balance to achieve a successful, harmonious dish.

“Of course, the key ingredient, green papaya, isn’t typically available in hometown grocery stores, which is why I took a page from the ever-popular zucchini noodles. They don’t stay crisp as long as papaya, so be sure to leave them undressed until the minute you’re ready to serve.

If you can find green papaya, great. If not, substitute zucchini noodles. Or how about making both?

“The dish comes together very quickly, so prep all of your vegetables first, and you’ll zip right through the rest of the preparation.”

Ingredients For 2-4 Servings

1. MAKE the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice, coconut sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and garlic. It will seem like a lot of liquid, but don’t worry: That’s exactly what you want. This isn’t like a traditional salad dressing; it should soak into the noodles a bit, and you will have a bit of a pool at the bottom when it’s in proper proportion.

2. PLACE the green beans, zucchini ribbons, and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat. Add the chili, a bit at a time, until it’s spicy enough for your personal taste. Give it one more good toss to mix everything around and evenly distribute the ingredients before transferring everything to a serving dish.

3. TOP with a generous handful of sliced chives and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
 
 
SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE #2: ZUCCHINI “SPAGHETTI”

You will love this dish, part of our repertoire since we began to fashion our own “cuisine minceur*” in high school. It does a great job emulating spaghetti, for very few calories and carbs.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK zucchini briefly, to al dente. (We steamed them in the microwave for 30 seconds).

2. PLATE with sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and any other ingredients.

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*Cuisine minceur is a style of cooking created by French chef Michel Guérard. Guérard recreated lighter versions of traditional nouvelle cuisine dishes. Nouvelle cuisine, “new cuisine,” is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the food critic Henri Gault, who invented the phrase, and his colleagues André Gayot and Christian Millau, in a new restaurant guide, the Gault-Millau, or Le Nouveau Guide. Here’s more about it.
 
 

Hummus is the second-fastest growing category in the grocery aisles with the on-the-go segment experiencing the most growth. Sales of hummus “snack sets” have seen major increases, up more than 70% since last year.

So it’s no surprise that Tribe Hummus, a leading brand, has entered the category with Tribe Humus & Pita Chips, a single-serve package that is launching now.

Tribe sent us samples, and we’re here to report the good news…and the less good news.

 
The Scoop: Good

 
*Tribe To Go Sweet Roasted Red Pepper totals 200 calories and Tribe To Go Classic has 230 calories.

 
A Welcome Addition To Snack Choices

Tribe’s To Go pack has a suggested retail price of $1.99-$2.99. It currently can be found at retailers and grocery stores such as Stop and Shop, Albertsons and Jewel, with plans of to expand to movie theaters, gas stations, airports and convenience stores by year-end.

And that’s what we think is the best news: We’d love to find it at these latter venues, where it would most certainly be our snack of choice among the empty calories and tasteless fresh fruit.

Can we also recommend newsstands, refrigerated vending machines and the snack concessions in office buildings? We’ll be there with cash in hand.

Learn more about Tribe at TribeHummus.com.

Looking for something sweet, cool, and virtually non-caloric?

You can buy sugar-free or no sugar added ice pops from Edy’s or Popsicle. Or, you can make your own from your favorite diet soft drink.

It couldn’t be easier. Prep time is five minutes plus freezing time.

RECIPE: DIET ICE POPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation For 6 Ice Pops

1. POUR 20 ounces of beverage into a large pitcher.

2. POUR the mixture into the pop molds; freeze for 3 hours or until completely frozen.

 
On a related note, you can also make flavored ice cubes by freezing your favorite diet beverage in an ice cube tray. Toss them into your drink instead of regular ice, and the melting cubes won’t dilute the flavor.

[2] Prosciutto and mozzarella are the Italian “ham and cheese” sandwich (photo © Consorzio di Prosciutto di Parma).

[3] Julienne three different colors of bell peppers (photo © Srinivas Bandari | Unsplash).

[4] Tapenade on crackers or crostini is delicious with cocktails, wine and beer (photo © Kelly Cline | iStock Photo).

[5] We like this sandwich on country bread, but you can use whatever you like—focaccia, whole wheat, even, for fun, a bagel (photo © Good Eggs).

A delicious “surf and turf” sandwich: mozzarella, prosciutto, tapenade, and more on crunchy rustic toast. Or, call it an Italian ham and cheese sandwich with some added extras. We think of it as a summer sandwich because of the bright colors; although there’s nothing particularly summery about it and the colors will brighten your plate year-round.

You can enjoy the sandwich four ways:

 
The second recipe, for Tuna Tapenade, is below.
 
 
RECIPE: PROSCIUTTO, MOZZARELLA & TAPENADE SANDWICH

Ingredients For 4 Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE peppers, vinaigrette, and tarragon in a small bowl; set aside.

2. PLACE 4 slices of toasted bread on a clean surface. Top each slice with 1/4 of the prosciutto (1 ounce). Spread 2 tablespoons olive tapenade on top of the prosciutto.

3. DIVIDE mozzarella slices evenly over the tapenade. Top with the pepper mixture and cover with remaining toast slices.
 
 
WHAT IS TAPENADE

A Provençal specialty, tapenade (tah-pen-ODD) is a thick paste of olives, capers, and seasonings. You can use black or green olives, or a combination. Here’s a classic recipe.

It is typically used as an hors d’œuvre spread, on crackers or bread, or with crudités. It can be used in recipes as well; for example, to stuff fish fillets. We serve it as a condiment with grilled fish, atop or to the side.

There are many variations to the recipe. For example, you can add a can of drained tuna for tuna tapenade (the recipe is below). You can purchase ready-made tapenade in better food stores, but it’s so easy to make: Just combine the ingredients in a food processor.
 
 
RECIPE #2: TUNA TAPENADE

You can substitute green olives for the black olives (some people use a half cup of each). If you don’t like anchovies, leave them out. If you don’t like anchovies and tuna, you can substitute artichoke hearts, cooked eggplant, mushrooms, red bell peppers, or sundried tomatoes. This is an easy recipe to customize to your own preferences.

For another occasion, here’s a recipe for green olive tapenade (no fish, just olives).

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

 
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*Canned olives are famously bland. If you like a stronger olive flavor, buy better-quality olives in the jar or from the olive bar at some supermarkets and specialty food stores—although you may need an olive pitter to remove the pits.

†We find that the oil in the drained tuna and anchovies is often sufficient. Process the mixture without the added olive oil; then decide if you need it. The added olive oil will give the tapenade a thinner consistency. If you’d like it thinner still, add more olive oil, bit by bit.