Simple Spanish Gazpacho Soup

Spain is so much in the news this week, so I decided to make a fresh and simple Spanish Gazpacho today from Jamie Oliver's "Jamie Does Spain" cook book:

Photo: Marge Ishmael

Recipe (makes 4 small bowls or 2 big bowls of soup):

1/4 a loaf (250g) of yesterday's white bread

5 large, ripe red tomatoes

3/4 of a cucumber (peeled and roughly chopped)

1 green pepper (de-seeded and roughly chopped)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sherry vinegar (just a splash)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh herbs as a garnish (e.g. coriander, basil)

Slice the bread and cut off the crusts. Put bread in a bowl with 100 ml of water to soften it. Put to one side.

Prick top of each tomato with a knife. Put in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds or so and then peel them. Put to one side.

Roughly chop the cucumber and green pepper.

Put peeled tomatoes, chopped vegetables, garlic cloves in a liquidizer. Put the soaked bread on top. Pour in the olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar. Add a pinch of two of salt and some ground black pepper.

Liquidize until the mixture is a pinky-orange color, which is authentic.  Put in fridge to chill for a few hours.

When the gazpacho is chilled, divide it between some glasses or bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.

This is a delicious, fresh and simple soup. Serve with toasted or fresh French baguette slices. Goes well with some Serrano ham and cheese on the side. 

Preparing this Spanish food makes me think of the Gypsy Kings, who are in fact from southern France but their music has a Spanish flavor. Although group members were born in France, their parents were mostly Spanish Romani people who fled Catalonia during the 1930s Spanish Civil War.