Cold Vegetable Soup

Here is an Italian version of the cold vegetable soup, a fresh and light variant perfect for hot days. This soup can be easily adapted based on the seasonal vegetables you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 750 ml of cold vegetable broth
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh basil to taste
• Aromatic herbs of your choice (for example mint or parsley)

Preparation

1. Start by washing all the vegetables. Cut the zucchini, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes and celery into fairly small pieces to facilitate the blending process.
2. Peel the red onion and garlic cloves, then chop them finely.
3. Take all the cut and chopped vegetables to a large blender or kitchen mixer and add some of the cold vegetable broth.
4. Blend everything until you get a smooth and creamy consistency. If the soup is too thick, add the rest of the vegetable broth until you reach the desired consistency.
5. Add the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and blend again for a short moment to mix the ingredients.
6. Wash and chop the basil and other aromatic herbs you have chosen and add them to the soup.
7. Put the soup in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to intensify and the soup to cool down well.
8. Serve the cold soup decorated with basil leaves, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and, if you like, with croutons of toasted bread.

Curiosity

The cold vegetable soup can be considered an Italian variant of the Andalusian gazpacho, although the latter is usually more focused on tomatoes. The Italian version of this cold soup can vary greatly from region to region, taking advantage of local and seasonal vegetables.