Vegetarian Gazpacho Oaxaca-style Recipe

rehydrate and blend guajillo

Remove stems and seeds from the guajillo chiles. Place chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with 1 cup of very hot water. Let sit 15 minutes until softened. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Add softened chiles to a small blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid (or plain hot water if needed) and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Blend to a smooth paste. If needed, add another teaspoon of soaking liquid to achieve a spoonable paste.

Toast pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, 3–5 minutes until fragrant and slightly browned. Remove from heat and cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish and roughly pulse the rest in a small food processor into coarse crumbs to help thicken the soup.

In a high-speed blender combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, garlic, tomato juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and the guajillo paste. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1–2 minutes. If your blender is small, work in two batches.

Taste the blended soup and adjust seasoning: add remaining salt and pepper as desired, and the sherry vinegar (3 teaspoons). Add additional tomato juice or cold water if you prefer a thinner consistency (up to 1/2 cup). Stir in the pulsed pepitas and 1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese; pulse just a few times by hand or with the blender on very short bursts so the cheese is incorporated but some texture remains.

Transfer the soup to a bowl or airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours or overnight. Cold temperature melds flavors and makes a more authentic gazpacho.

Before serving, stir in the diced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime juice (2 tablespoons) and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Adjust final seasoning with coarse sea salt and more lime if needed.

Ladle chilled gazpacho into bowls. Top each bowl with a sprinkle of the reserved toasted pepitas, remaining shredded Oaxaca cheese, a few corn tortilla strips for crunch, and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Grind a little black pepper over the top if desired.

Serve immediately. Leftover gazpacho keeps well, refrigerated in a sealed container, 2–3 days. Stir before serving and add more water or tomato juice if it has thickened.