Gazpacho salad (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

It has been hot. And I’ve been craving something cool with just a little spice. Gazpacho.

Icy, thirst-quenching and invigorating, gazpacho is perfect for hot summer days. Because it is a blend of fresh vegetables, it is also a healthy treat. There are many variations — some more like a cool beverage, others like a chunky soup, still others that are more like a salad.

Since I couldn’t find the Spanish soup in any local eateries, I had to make my own! I soon discovered that no two gazpacho recipes are the same — but the essential ingredients are onion, cucumber, olive oil, vinegar (sherry vinegar is more authentic to Andalusia, where gazpacho originated), bread (soaked in water, optional), and garlic.

Notice there are no tomatoes or peppers in the original gazpacho, a simple bread-based soup from a Spanish dish. These early recipes date back to the Middle Ages, when the Moors invaded Spain’s Andalusian region. This was long before tomatoes or peppers were known in the Old World. This is why the word gazpacho, which means soaked bread, has Arabic roots.

There are also modern gazpacho recipes with melon — all types of melon can be used, but watermelon is the most popular. Melons were introduced to Spain by the Moors in the 13th century. Piel de Sapo (translated as Toad Skin, also known as the Christmas melon or Santa Claus melon) is native to Spain. Today, melons are one of the most popular summer fruits in Spain. They are grown in Spain’s eastern coast and the La Mancha region of south-central Spain.

The soup has evolved, so that in modern Spain there are many regional versions, some containing almonds and melons, others without tomatoes and peppers. In western Spain, a red (tomato) gazpacho is served garnished with diced cooked ham. Many modern American versions omit the bread base altogether; the tomato has replaced bread as the base for red gazpacho.

The first American recipe for gazpacho appears in Mary Randolph’s The Virginia Housewife (1824). Cookbook author Betty Wason wrote in the 1960s that this ‘soup salad of Spain’ had become fashionable in the United States.

Today in America, gazpacho is often made with a base of tomato juice or broth with fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in it; it can be blended into a drink or resemble a chunky salad. In addition to tomatoes and peppers, other vegetables and fruits can be added; there are recipes for watermelon gazpacho and almond gazpacho, among others.

Many modern chefs use the term gazpacho to describe any uncooked, chilled soup. Other contemporary versions include melons, seafood (clam juice, shrimp or lobster), and are sometimes sweetened with mangoes or raisins.

Modern gazpacho is usually made with tomatoes and peppers. The Spanish-style soup is a chunky liquid blend of fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in a broth made from chicken stock and tomatoes or tomato juice. The ingredients — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions — are all in season and at peak flavor right now, making this simple dish very flavorful.

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Herbed Gazpacho

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Simple to make with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 pound very ripe tomatoes (about 3)

1 chile or Serrano pepper

1 bell pepper

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (homemade is best) or tomato juice, or a combination

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1 lime or lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh minced chives

2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley

1 teaspoon fresh minced basil

1 teaspoon fresh minced tarragon

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Directions:

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Peel tomatoes and put through a sieve to remove seeds; remove pepper seeds. Place both in food processor or chop finely. Crush garlic with salt, or mince fine. Peel and mince the onion. Juice the lemon, and remove any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or a food processor. Add fresh minced herbs and serve.

Garnish with croutons or a dollop of yogurt or sour cream if desired.

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My Gazpacho Salad

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This salad, based on gazpacho ingredients, is chunky rather than liquid.

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Ingredients:

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About 2 cups of baguette or stale bread, crumbled into large crumbs or small chunks

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup minced fresh parsley

1 cup shredded lettuce (because I needed to use it up)

1 cup diced sweet onion (I used both red and white)

1 cup chopped pickle

1/2 cup sliced celery

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup garbanzo beans, drained (for protein, and because I needed to use them up)

Sliced olives

1 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese

1 cucumber

2 or 3 tomatoes (depending on size; I used one yellow and one red)

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Directions:

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Place the bread in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup water; mix and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Mix with olive oil and vinegar; set aside while you make the rest of the salad.

Chop and add the remaining ingredients except for the cucumbers and tomatoes. Use what you have on hand — anything can be omitted, to suit your taste and what you have lying around.

Refrigerate for flavors to blend (I made this in the morning)

Before serving, add the diced cucumber and tomato. Season to taste with salt and pepper and any additional herbs or cheese.

Option: add diced cooked chicken or ham for additional protein.

Makes about 6 to 8 1-cup servings.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on Twitter: @yvonawrites.