“On a really hot day, gazpacho is the perfect meal or starter. The secret is getting the balance right between the flavour of the vegetables, oil and vinegar. You might like to keep back some of the vegetables to create an attractive garnish for the soup bowls. This is optional, so do feel free to blend all of the vegetables together.” Charlotte Pike, author of The Soup Solution
Serves 4-6
½ large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
6 large, ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
100g (3½oz) best-quality bread, such as sourdough, roughly torn into pieces
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Salt
Blend the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and shallots to a rough purée in a food processor, reserving, if you wish, a couple of chunks of each vegetable as a garnish.
Add the garlic, bread, olive oil and sherry vinegar to the food processor and blend again until the consistency is to your liking – either textured or perfectly smooth. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
Transfer the soup to a jug, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Cut any reserved vegetables into small cubes. When ready to serve, ladle the gazpacho into bowls and garnish with the cubed vegetables.