Gazpacho

Summer’s here and Gazpacho is back on the menu.

I make no claims as to authenticity but this is the way we make it in Casa Maki. (You can, of course, increase the quantities but this has to be consumed fresh – the longer you keep it, the more vitamins you lose!)

1 kilo of (over) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic
a pinch of cumin (stops the garlic repeating)
Salt to taste
1 small green pepper roughly chopped (or half a bigger one)
1 small white (sweet) onion roughly chopped
half a small cucumber (with most but not all of the skin peeled off) roughly chopped
150 ml virgin olive oil (as this is a raw dish it needs to be good quality)
50ml (minimum) white wine vinegar: add more if you want it more tangy
200g stale bread (no crusts) soaked in cold water and then squeezed to remove excess moisture.

Bung this all in the liquidiser and zap till you have a smooth paste/liquid.

We then put it through a food mill to remove skins and pips – this is a matter of taste.

Add ice cold water to obtain the consistency you want. We like it pretty thick. We tend to drink the stuff in glasses.(It needs to be in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before you consume it – or you can cheat and add ice cubes and stir until they melt if you’re in a hurry!)

If you want to have it as a soup you can tear up some crusty baguette or similar, dice tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and even melon to garnish and eat with a spoon.