Gazpacho

This vibrant chilled Spanish soup blends garden-fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and sweet peppers into a bowl of pure summer sunshine. A touch of garlic and good olive oil bring everything together beautifully, creating the perfect cool-down meal for hot days.

Ingredients

• 1 kg / 2 lb ripe tomatoes ((~7), cut into 8 wedges, core removed)
• 1 cucumber (20cm/8" long) (, peeled and diced into 1cm / 1/2" cubes)
• 1 red capsicum/bell pepper (, cut into 1.5 cm / 1/2" cubes)
• 2 garlic cloves (, chopped)
• 1/4 cup red onion (, finely diced (Note 1))
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (, + extra for serving)
• 1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar ((sub white wine or champagne vinegar))
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Crusty bread
• Cucumber (, cut into small cubes (optional))

Instructions

1. Marinate – Toss all the gazpacho ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover then set aside to marinate, preferably 12 to 24 hours, or at least 3 hours. (Note 3)
2. Blitz – Transfer everything into a blender and blitz on high until smooth. (Or use a tall jug with a hand blender). For 100% perfectly smooth, pass through a fine mesh strainer or food mill and discard solids (Note 2)
3. Serve – Pour into a bowl. Rest for 15 minutes to let the bubbles subside. Stir, then ladle into bowls.
4. Garnish – Top with diced cucumber, if using, and a swish of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread!