Gazpacho & Croquetas de Queso Y Tomate Recipes
If there's one event that puts the Valencia region on the map every August, it's La Tomatina.
Held each year in the nearby town of Buñol, this wonderfully chaotic festival sees thousands of people from around the world gather for what's often described as the world's biggest food fight. Armed with overripe tomatoes, the streets are transformed into a sea of red as participants spend an hour throwing tomatoes at one another in a tradition that's as messy as it is memorable.
The festival began in 1945 after a scuffle between a group of teenagers during a local parade. No one could have predicted that an impromptu tomato fight would grow into one of Spain's most famous festivals, attracting visitors from across the globe every summer.
While we'd much rather see tomatoes on a plate than flying through the air, La Tomatina perfectly celebrates one of Spain's most iconic ingredients. Sweet, ripe tomatoes are at the heart of so many Spanish dishes, especially during the warm summer months, when they're at their very best.
Inspired by the flavours of Valencia and the region's famous tomato festival, we've created two delicious recipes that put this humble ingredient centre stage: Gazpacho and Cheese & Tomato Croquetas.
Whether you're recreating these recipes at home or simply dreaming of sunny days in Spain, we hope they bring a little taste of Valencia to your kitchen this month.
Our full recipes are below, so you can join us in celebrating one of Spain's most colourful festivals. Without having to dodge flying tomatoes!
I can’t wait for you to try them,
Johnny
(psst, want to leave the cooking to us? Find our Gazpacho (v) & Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v) as specials in our restaurants throughout August, book your table below.)
Gazpacho (vg) Recipe
Gazpacho
Simple, refreshing and wonderfully cooling, gazpacho is Spain's answer to a hot summer's day. Made with ripe tomatoes, fresh vegetables and extra virgin olive oil, this chilled soup is packed with vibrant Mediterranean flavour. It's delicious served just as it is, or topped with crispy Serrano ham, grated egg or crunchy croutons for added texture.
Serves 4
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
See our Chef’s Notes below for recipe tips
Ingredients
40g Yellow Pepper, finely diced
40g Red Pepper, finely diced
40g Green Pepper, finely diced
20g Banana Shallots, finely diced
270 Fresh Plum Tomatoes
½ Cucumber, peeled & deseeded
1 Garlic Clove, finely diced
20g Bread, finely diced
35g or 2.5 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1g Pepper
3g Maldon Salt
Method
Finely dice the peppers & banana shallots, mix together & set 40g to one side for garnishing the gazpacho.
Bring a pan of salted water to boil, then carefully add the whole plum tomatoes & simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon & place in cold water.
Once cooled, peel the skin off the tomatoes and finely dice.
Peel half a cucumber, cut it in half length ways. Remove & discard the seeds with a spoon. Dice the cucumber & garlic, mix together.
Dice the bread and mix with the olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt & pepper.
Once you have done the above place all the ingredients in a blitzer & blitz until nice & smooth. Put it in the fridge to chill.
To serve, spoon into four glasses, top with the finely diced vegetables, drizzle with a little olive oil & a sprinkle of Maldon salt. Enjoy!
Chef’s Notes
It’s best eaten the same day but will last in your fridge for up to 2 days. We recommend serving it chilled.
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Join in on our socials!
Cook along and tag us using #DiscoverSpainWithAmbiente and #AmbienteAtHome. We'd love to see your creations.
Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v) Recipe
Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v)
Golden, crisp and irresistibly creamy, these croquetas are filled with a rich tomato and basil béchamel that captures the flavours of a classic salad in every bite. Perfect as part of a tapas spread, served alongside a fresh summer salad or simply enjoyed on their own, they're comfort food with a Spanish twist.
Makes 8 Large Croquettes
Prep: 15 mins + cooling
Cook: 30 mins
See our Chef’s Notes below for recipe tips
Ingredients
Béchamel Sauce
1tsp Olive Oil
40g White Onion, finely diced
4g Garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp White Wine
7g Tomato Purée
195g Peeled Plum Tomatoes
25g Butter
35g Flour
5g Basil, finely diced
2g Salt
1g Pepper
Croquettes
1 bay leaf
250ml Full Fat Milk
30g Onion
280g Potato, peeled & diced
45g Salted Butter
70g White Flour
90g Manchego Cheese, grated
3g Salt
2g Cracked Black Pepper
1 Egg
Breadcrumbs
Plain Flour
Oil for Frying
Method
Tomato Béchamel Sauce
Finely dice the onion and garlic. Put a pan on a low heat and add 1tbsp of olive oil. Sweat the onion & garlic until soft and transluscent.
Once soft, add the white wine to the pan to deglaze. Add the tomato purée and peeled plum tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add to a blender and blend until smooth.
In a separate large saucepan, melt the butter and stir through the flour to make a paste. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour.
Slow add the tomato mix while stirring over a low heat. The sauce will slowly thicken. Remove from the heat and add the basil, salt and pepper. Cool down and then put in the fridge to fully cool.
Cheese Croquette Mix
Place the bay leaf, onion and full fat milk in a sauce pan on low heat. Slowly bring to the oil. As soon as it reaches boiling point, remove it from the heat and leave it to infuse. Strain the milk to remove the onion and bay leaf.
While the milk is infusing, peel and dice the potatoes, cover with salted water and bring to the boil. Boil until soft, strain and then mash until smooth.
In a separate large saucepan, melt the butter and stir through the flour to make a paste. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour. Remove from the heat and stir through the cheese and salt & pepper until melted. Combine with the mash and mix until combined. Leave to cool and then place in the fridge.
To Cook
Make sure the tomato béchamel & cheese croquette ingredients have fully cooled, this will make them easier to roll.
Roll the tomato béchamel into 30g balls and return to the fridge. Then roll the croquette mix into 70g balls and flatten. Place the tomato béchamel ball in the centre of the flattened croquette mix and wrap it around so it surrounds the tomato béchamel fully.
Gather three different bowls, place some plain flour in one, whisked egg in the second and breadcrumbs in the third. Roll your croquettes in the flour, then place in the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs. Repeat the process so they’ve got a double coating of breadcrumbs.
Roll in flour, then place in egg wash and then into bread crumbs, Repeat this process so it is double breadcrumbed.
Heat a deep pan with oil (enough to cover the croquettes) and heat to 180degrees. In batches, gently place the croquettes in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Double check the oil temperature to make sure it stays consistent. Once golden brown, remove and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.
Chef’s Notes
Manchego is our preferred cheese to use as it imparts a rich, buttery, and slightly nutty flavour that goes perfectly with the tomato béchamel. But you can use most cheeses here!
We recommend making the tomato béchamel & cheese croquette mixture in advance so they have plenty of time to cool down. This ensures the mixture cools enough and makes them much easier to roll.
The mixtures can be made 48 hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to use.
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Join in on our socials!
Cook along and tag us using #DiscoverSpainWithAmbiente and #AmbienteAtHome. We'd love to see your creations.
August Special; Gazpacho (v) & Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v)
Our August Specials: Gazpacho (v) & Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v)
If you’d rather leave the cooking to us, we’re featuring both of our Valencian Specials, Gazpacho (v) & our Croquetas de Queso y Tomate (v), as specials in our restaurants throughout August!
Book your table to experience Valencia today!