Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbtomatoesfully ripe, cored, roughly chopped
• 10½ ozcucumberpeeled, seeded if desired, diced
• 3 tbspolive oilpartly blended in, partly for drizzling
• 1 clovesgarlicpeeled
• 1onionsmall, peeled, roughly chopped
• 2bell pepperred or yellow, trimmed, diced
• 1chilifresh or dried, to taste for heat
• 2 tbspvinegarbalsamic or light wine/white balsamic vinegar
• saltto taste
• pepperfreshly ground, to taste
• 3 tbsplime juiceor lemon juice, for seasoning (optional)
• 1 tspsugaror honey/agave syrup, balances acidity (optional)
• 2½ ozWhite breadsoaked and blended in, or toasted as croutons (optional)
• 1¾ ozceleryroughly chopped (optional)
• 10basilleaves, blended in or for garnish (optional)
• 3½ ozice cubesblended in or for serving, for instant chill (optional)

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes, cut out the cores and roughly chop the flesh. Peel the cucumber, seed it if you like, and dice it.
2. Peel the onion and garlic, trim the bell peppers and, if using, the celery, then roughly chop everything.
3. If you like a thicker soup, cube the white bread, soak it briefly in water and squeeze it out well. Alternatively, cube the bread and toast it in a pan until you have golden croutons.
4. Put the vegetables in a blender with the soaked bread, the vinegar, part of the olive oil, the chili according to how much heat you want, and a few basil leaves if you like, then blend until smooth.
5. For an especially velvety gazpacho, push the soup through a fine sieve.
6. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, a little lime or lemon juice and a pinch of sugar or a little agave syrup. If the soup is too thick, thin it with cold water, a splash at a time.
7. Chill the gazpacho for at least 1 hour. If you're in a hurry, blend in the ice cubes instead and serve right away.
8. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls or glasses, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and garnish with basil, croutons or finely diced vegetables.

Tips and variations

Gazpacho is forgiving: spring onions or shallots work in place of the onion, and mint or parsley can stand in for basil. If you can't get good fresh tomatoes, tomato juice, passata or a little tomato paste make a fine base. For a fruity version, add melon, strawberries or mango; for a thicker one, bind it with blanched almonds and bread, use yellow bell peppers and serve flatbread alongside. You can also stretch it with vegetable stock or season it with a splash of Noilly Prat and a few drops of Tabasco. To serve, spoon in some warm, quickly fried courgette cubes – they make a lovely contrast to the cold soup.