Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 slices of thick white bread crusts removed 375 g tomatoes, skinned and coarsely chopped
- ½ large cucumber peeled, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 large red pepper cored, deseeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 celery sticks quartered
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 litre water freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the chopped garlic and salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle until smooth. Alternatively, place the garlic and salt on a board and crush the garlic with the flattened blade of a knife. Place the bread in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 5 seconds, then drain the bread and squeeze out the moisture.
- Place the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and celery in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic paste, bread and oil and purée the mixture until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the vinegar and water and add pepper to taste. Cover closely and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serve the soup very cold in individual chilled glasses. Garnish with a sprinkling of the diced tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.
Notes & Wine Advice
For chillied gazpacho, make up the soup as above, adding 1 large, mild, deseeded and finely chopped red chilli along with the other vegetables. Serve garnished with a scattering of finely chopped mint and a drizzle of olive oil.