Andalusian Gazpacho
Andalusia's cold summer soup: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic and bread blended silky with olive oil and sherry vinegar.
Method
Tear the bread, crust and all, into 2–3 cm pieces, put it in a small bowl, pour over the cold water and soak for , until it has drunk up the water and feels soft.
Add in this stepDay-old baguette (or white bread) 30 gCold water 50 ml
Cut a small V around the tomato cores to remove them and quarter the tomatoes. Peel the cucumber and cut it into 2 cm chunks, remove the seeds and white ribs from the pepper, and roughly chop the onion and garlic (pull out any green sprout in the garlic so it doesn't taste harsh). Dice the garnish cucumber and pepper into 5 mm cubes and keep them in the fridge.
Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 500 gCucumber 80 gGreen bell pepper 50 gOnion 25 gGarlic clove ½
Put the tomatoes in a blender of at least 1.5 L first (their juice helps everything blend), then add the cucumber, pepper, onion, garlic, soaked bread with its water, salt and vinegar. Blend for until there are no visible pieces at all.
Add in this stepSalt ½ tspSherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 1 tbsp
With the blender running, pour the olive oil in a thin stream through the hole in the lid and blend for another . When the colour turns from red to an orange-pink and the texture looks creamy, the oil is properly emulsified.
Add in this stepExtra-virgin olive oil 40 ml
For a silkier soup, push it through a fine sieve with the back of a spoon (rustic home versions often skip this). Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar; if it is too thick, add a splash of cold water until it is drinkable.
Pour into a container, cover and chill in the fridge for at least , until very cold. Cold sharpens the flavour, and the resting time lets everything blend together.
Stir just before serving, pour into bowls or glasses, scatter over the diced cucumber and pepper and finish with a swirl of olive oil.
Add in this stepCucumber (for garnish) 30 gGreen bell pepper (for garnish) 20 gExtra-virgin olive oil (to finish) 2 tsp
Cook's tip
The tomatoes are the whole flavour, so use really ripe ones that give slightly when pressed. Cold food tastes less salty, so taste again just before serving. It keeps for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Cooking it at camp
Blend it at home and carry it in a bottle or vacuum flask in the cooler; at camp you just pour. If you make it on site, use a cordless stick blender and add a few ice cubes to chill it instantly (reduce the water by the same amount).