Purple Gazpacho

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g fresh beetroot (or pre-cooked in a vacuum pack – no pickled beetroot!)
• 1 cucumber(s)
• 1 bell pepper(s), red, fresh
• 1 shallot(s) (or spring onion, small onion)
• 1 lemon(s), unsprayed
• some olive oil
• 1 cup water
• Salt
• Sugar
• 1 pinch of ginger powder
• 1 pinch of mace (alternatively nutmeg)

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Mediterranean cold soup made from beetroot and vegetables

If you’ve chosen fresh beetroot (always the best choice), you’ll need to cook it in its skin for 30 minutes and then let it cool. Peel and chop the beetroot. Peel and chop the shallot and cucumber. Deseed, wash, and chop the bell pepper. Wash the lemon, grate and reserve the zest, and squeeze out the juice. Then, place the chopped vegetables in a blender with the lemon juice, about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the water until smooth. Season to taste with salt, sugar, and grated lemon zest, and add a pinch each of ginger and mace. Then refrigerate the soup for at least an hour. Serve ice cold. Don’t be afraid of beetroot! This recipe is completely different from the usual sweet and sour pickled version from a jar. You simply have to try this recipe—it’s hard to imagine. I discovered this version of gazpacho in a gourmet restaurant in the South of France and immediately fell in love with the tangy, fresh-tasting, and enchantingly colored vegetable cream. For a more sophisticated twist, serve it in glasses, garnished with two or three thin apple or pear slices and a sprinkling of dill. Toasted white bread and goat’s cheese are a perfect complement.