Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1kg very ripe tomatoes
• 1 cucumber, peeled
• 1 green pepper
• 1 small garlic clove
• 60g stale white bread, crusts removed
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Cold water, as needed

Before you cook

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; this recipe is almost entirely dependent on them.
• Soak the bread in a little water for 10 minutes, then squeeze it out.
• Chill everything before you start, so the soup does not need long in the fridge.

Steps

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber and pepper.
2. Blend the vegetables with the garlic and soaked bread until completely smooth.
3. With the blender running, pour in the olive oil in a thin stream.
4. Keep blending for a full minute after the oil is in — this is what turns it from watery to creamy.
5. Add the vinegar and salt and blend again.
6. Pass the soup through a fine sieve for a silkier texture, pressing the solids.
7. Taste and adjust: it usually wants more salt and more vinegar than you expect.
8. Thin with cold water if it is thicker than double cream.
9. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve very cold with a drizzle of oil.