Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tomato – cored and roughly chopped
• 12 ounces cucumber – peeled and seeded if thick-skinned, roughly chopped
• 6 ounces green bell pepper – seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic – chopped
• 2 ounces country bread – crusts removed, torn into pieces
• 0.5 cup cold water
• 2.5 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1.25 teaspoons kosher salt
• 0.33 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• tomato – finely diced (for serving)
• cucumber – finely diced (for serving)
• green bell pepper – finely diced (for serving)
• extra-virgin olive oil – for serving

Instructions

1. Soak the torn country bread in the cold water for 5 minutes, then squeeze lightly and transfer both the bread and soaking liquid to a blender.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, garlic, sherry vinegar, and kosher salt to the blender. Blend on high until very smooth, 1–2 minutes.
3. With the blender running, drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil in a thin stream and blend until the soup lightens in color and thickens slightly, 30–60 seconds.
4. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
5. Cover and chill until very cold, 2–3 hours.
6. Stir the gazpacho, then ladle into chilled bowls. Garnish with the finely diced tomato, cucumber, and green bell pepper, and finish with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (for serving). Serve immediately.