CREAMY GAZPACHO ANDALUZ

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Open nearly any refrigerator in Spain in the summertime and you’ll find a pitcher of refreshing gazpacho. The key to fresh tomato flavor in our gazpacho Andaluz recipe was salting the tomatoes and letting them sit to concentrate flavor. We did the same with the cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion and soaked the bread, which we used to thicken the soup, in the exuded vegetable juices. A final dash of olive oil and sherry vinegar further brightened the flavors, and a diced- vegetable garnish made our gazpacho Andaluz look as fresh as it tasted. The success of this recipe depends on using ripe, in-season tomatoes. For fullest flavor, refrigerate the gazpacho overnight before serving. Red wine vinegar can be substituted for the sherry vinegar.

SERVES:4 to 6

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes (plus 1 hour draining time and 2 hours chilling time)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, halved, and seeded
• 1 small red onion, peeled and halved
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
• 1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• Salt and pepper
• 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, chives, or basil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Coarsely chop 2 pounds of the tomatoes, half of the cucumber, half of the bell pepper, and half of the onion and place them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, serrano, and ¾ teaspoon of salt and toss to combine.
2. Cut the remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper into ¼-inch pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Finely chop the remaining onion and add it to the vegetables. Toss with ¼ teaspoon salt and transfer to a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Let it drain for 1 hour. Transfer the drained vegetables to a second medium bowl and set aside, reserving the liquid (you should have about ¼ cup of liquid. Discard any extra liquid).
3. Add the bread to the reserved liquid and soak for 1 minute. Add the soaked bread and any remaining liquid to the coarsely chopped vegetables and toss thoroughly to combine.
4. Transfer half of the vegetable-bread mixture to a blender and process for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup of oil in a steady stream and continue to process until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, using the back of a ladle or rubber spatula to press the soup through the strainer; discard remaining solids. Repeat with the remaining vegetable-bread mixture and remaining ¼ cup of oil.
5. Stir in the vinegar, parsley, and half of the drained vegetables into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled and flavors meld, about 2 hours. Serve, passing the remaining drained vegetables, extra oil, extra vinegar, and pepper separately