Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold, Spanish, tomato-based, raw vegetable soup originating in the region of Andalusia.

Typically it includes stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Until I owned a blender it never occured to me to make it myself but this tool makes it very easy and in minutes you have the most luscious soup you can imagine. It is refreshing on a hot summer day, healthy, and light. My version doesn't contain bread, so feel free to add some.

Gazpacho

Soup

5 big tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cucumber, peeled an diced

1 onion (I don't add the onion), peeled and diced

3 - 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar or more

Optional: 2 big slices of a day-old country bead, remove crust, cube, soak in water for 5-10 minutes, drain and squeeze out the excess liquid

Garnish

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

salt to taste

2 slices of white bread

small dices of cucumber, bell pepper, tomato

Put the tomatoes in a bowl, cover them with boiling water and let them sit for 30 seconds. Drain, then peel and cut into pieces. Put the vegetables (and bread) into a blender together with the olive oil and vinegar. Blend until very smooth. Taste with salt and pepper. Put into the fridge until very cold, at least for 2 hours.

For the garnish

Remove crust of the bread, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bread cubes until golden brown. Salt and set aside 

Put the diced vegetables and bread cubes in individual bowls an serve together with the soup.