Gazpacho Verde

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbcucumberseeded and diced, keep some for garnish
• 3green bell pepperroasted, peeled and diced
• 3½ ozWhite breadcrusts removed, moistened with a little water or citrus juice
• 1green chiliseeded and chopped
• 1onionpeeled and chopped
• 2 clovesgarlicpeeled and chopped
• 4 tbspolive oilfor blending
• 1limejuice for seasoning, zest for garnish; lemon juice as alternative
• ⅔ cupwatercold, added gradually to thin
• saltto taste
• pepperfreshly ground, to taste

Method

1. Halve and seed the green bell peppers, then roast them in the oven or under the grill until the skins blister.
2. Let the peppers cool a little, peel off the skins and dice the flesh. Set a few pieces aside for garnish.
3. Cut the crusts off the white bread and moisten it with a little water or citrus juice. Seed and dice the cucumber, again keeping a small handful back for garnish.
4. Seed the green chili, peel the onion and garlic, and chop everything finely. Zest the lime into fine strips, then squeeze out the juice.
5. Put the cucumber, peppers, chili, onion, garlic and moistened bread into a blender with the olive oil and lime juice and blend until smooth. Pour in the cold water gradually as you go, until the soup is as thick or thin as you like it.
6. Season the gazpacho generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
7. Cover the soup and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, until it's properly cold.
8. To serve, pour it into bowls or glasses and top with the reserved cucumber and pepper dice and the lime zest.

Tips and variations

Lemon juice works just as well as lime, and if you don't feel like firing up the grill, you can simply roast the peppers in the oven instead. For something quite different, leave out the bread and peppers and blend peas, avocado, buttermilk, basil and mint instead – though that makes the soup vegetarian rather than vegan. A garnish of peas and paper-thin cucumber slices looks lovely, too. Serve it with toasted baguette slices, perfect for wiping the bowl clean.