Gazpacho

Fast, keeps you fit and nothing beats it when it’s right and the sun is out. Key is the freshness and ripeness of your tomatoes. Enjoy alone with the sprinkles or with a club sandwich.

Prep

  1. Tear the measured bread into a bowl. Sprinkle with the 40ml of water. Set aside for 30 minutes. Meantime, skin the tomatoes and prep the vegetables.
  2. Boil a kettle. Sit the tomatoes in a large heatproof bowl. Cover them completely with the boiling water. Leave them for 2-3 minutes. Carefully, pour the water off. The skins may be peeling off so finish the job with your fingers.
  3. Sit the tomatoes on a board. Quarter them. Remove the seeds with a teaspoon then discard them. Drop the flesh into a processor or blender.
  4. Crush the garlic. Peel and chop the cucumber. Slice the pepper in two. Scoop out the seeds and cut away the stem. Roughly chop the flesh. Peel and chop the shallot.
  5. Throw the prepped vegetables in with the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil.
  6. Squeeze any excess water out of the bread. Add it to the machine. Put the top on. Blitz everything together until completely smooth. Add the wine glass of water if you’d like it a bit thinner or you’re serving it in shot glasses. Now, taste the soup. It needs to have a bit of a kick and be well seasoned so adjust the balance to suit your tastes and this style of dish. You may need a bit more oil to tone it down and add richness or a dash more vinegar or salt.
  7. Pour the soup into a bowl. Chill for at least 2 hours or longer. Taste again before you serve it.

Extras:

  1. Make these up while your soup chills.

Plate

  1. Chill the soup bowls if it’s a really hot day. Divide the soup between bowls. Add an ice cube if you like. Serve a selection of extras on a plate at the table. Or enjoy it plain with just a few bits of sliced black olive with a club sandwich. Or serve it in shot glasses with a selection of tapas (Virgin to Veteran p 98 Spanish meatballs and tapas extras)

Useful Cooking Information

Weight

Metric Imperial
10 g½ oz
20 g¾ oz
25 g1 oz
50 g2 oz
75 g3 oz
110 g4 oz
150 g5 oz
175 g6 oz
200 g7 oz
225 g8 oz
250 g9 oz
275 g10 oz
350 g12 oz
450 g1 lb
500 g (½ kg)18 oz
700 g1½ lb
900 g2 lb
1 kg2¼ lb
1.3 kg3 lb
1.8 kg4 lb
2.2 kg5 lb

Volume

Metric Imperial
50 ml2 fl oz
75 ml3 fl oz
100 ml3½ fl oz
125 ml4 fl oz
150 ml5 fl oz¼ pint
200 ml7 fl oz
250 ml9 fl oz
300 ml10 fl oz½ pint
425 ml15 fl oz¾ pint
600 ml20 fl oz1 pint
800 ml1½ pint
1 l1¾ pints
1.2 l2 pints
1.5 l2½ pints
1.8 l3 pints
2 l3½ pints

Measurements

Metric Imperial
5 mm¼ inch
1 cm½ inch
2 cm¾ inch
2.5 cm1 inch
3 cm1¼ inches
4 cm1½ inches
5 cm2 inches
10 cm3 inches
15 cm4 inches
20.5 cm6 inches
23 cm9 inches
25 cm10 inches
30 cm12 inches

Spoon measures - mean level measures unless the recipe says 'heaped'

Eggs - are always large for baking, unless recipe says otherwise


Oven Temperatures

Gas °F °C
Mark 1275140
2300150
3325170
4350180
5375190
6400200
7425220
8450230
9475240

Fan assisted ovens - remember to reduce temperatures by 20°C

Most Useful US/European Conversions

ButterUS 1 cup / 2 sticks8 oz220 g
SugarUS 1 cup6 oz175 g
FlourUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
LiquidUS 1 cup8 fl oz225 ml
Prepped OnionsUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
Cheese, GratedUS 1 cup4 oz110 g
Diced FruitUS 1 cup5 oz150 g
Fresh BreadcrumbsUS 1 cup2 oz55 g

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