Spanish Tomato Refresher
DrinksSpanish

Spanish Tomato Refresher

Recipe by AlexPrep: 10 minCook: 0 minTotal: 10 minServes 2Easy

This Spanish tomato refresher is a drinkable 10-minute gazpacho: three ripe tomatoes (peeled with a knife-back trick, no blanching), a cucumber, a small garlic clove and two ice cubes blended smooth with wine vinegar and olive oil, then strained silky and poured over ice with a pinch of salt, cracked pepper and an olive-oil float. Cold and silky is the point. Serves 2.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Peel the tomatoes without boiling water: run the back of a knife over the skin until it loosens, cut a shallow cross in the bottom, and the skin comes away in four clean quarters.

  2. 2

    Put the tomatoes in a blender with the peeled cucumber, two ice cubes and the garlic.

  3. 3

    Pour in the wine vinegar and olive oil, add a careful drop of hot sauce, and blend until completely smooth.

  4. 4

    Strain through a fine sieve to catch the seeds and anything the blender missed.

  5. 5

    Pour into glasses over a few ice cubes, season with the salt and 2–3 turns of black pepper, and float a little olive oil on top.

Watch the video

Play: Spanish Tomato Refresher

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the knife-back tomato peeling trick work?

Scraping the skin all over with the back of a knife loosens it from the flesh underneath — the same separation blanching achieves, without the pot of boiling water. Then a shallow cross in the bottom gives you four flaps that peel away in clean quarters.

Is this just gazpacho?

It is a close cousin — a simplified, drinkable take on the Andalusian cold tomato soup, without the bread that thickens classic gazpacho. Strained fine and served over ice, it drinks like a savory juice, which is exactly the contrast the rich tortilla wants.

Can I make it ahead?

It is best the day it is made — a few hours in the fridge is fine; give it a stir and fresh ice before serving. The flavors actually round out after an hour of chilling, but past a day the tomato starts tasting flat and the texture separates.

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