Mary Berry Gazpacho
This Mary Berry Gazpacho is a timeless chilled soup crafted from fresh summer vegetables, this classic dish hails from the Andalusian region of Spain, where its cold presentation is adapted to combat the sweltering summer weather.
Ingredients
- 55 grams 2 ounces white sourdough bread, crusts removed
- 1 kilograms 2 pounds 4 ounces medium very ripe tomatoes, skinned
- ½ large cucumber peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1 red pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 medium banana shallot roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- ½ teaspoon sugar
For the garnish:
- 1 tomato deseeded and very finely chopped
- ¼ cucumber peeled, deseeded and very finely chopped
- ¼ red pepper deseeded and very finely chopped
Instructions
- Soak the bread. Tear the bread into pieces and place it in a bowl. Add 150ml (¼ pint) of water and let it soak for 10 minutes.
- Quarter the tomatoes. Halve each tomato, discard the tough central stem while retaining the seeds, and quarter the tomatoes.
- Blend the ingredients. In the bowl with the soaked bread, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, pepper, shallot, oil, vinegar, tomato purée, and sugar. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend the mixture until smooth using an electric hand blender or food processor.
- Chill the soup. Transfer the soup to a jug and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Serve. Ladle the gazpacho into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with the chopped vegetables. Serve well chilled.
Notes
- You will need an electric hand blender or a food processor.
- Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
- To peel the tomatoes, create a cross with a small knife on the stalk end, then immerse them in boiling water for approximately 50 seconds to facilitate skin removal. Subsequently, transfer the tomatoes to cold water, and the skin should easily peel away.