Classic Gazpacho Soup

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all the ingredients you'll need. For this soup, it's best to choose fleshy, less watery tomatoes.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the red onion and cut it into small cubes. Cover the onion with vinegar and leave it to marinate for 15 minutes, then drain off the vinegar.

3. Step 3:

   

   Wash and dry the bell peppers. Place them on a baking sheet, brush with vegetable oil, and put them in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 15 minutes.

4. Step 4:

   

   Take the roasted peppers out of the oven, cool them, and peel off the outer skin. Then cut them in half, remove the seeds, and cut the flesh into pieces.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wash, dry, and finely chop the herbs. Besides parsley, you can use dill, cilantro, or all of them together.

6. Step 6:

   

   Peel the garlic and press it through a garlic press.

7. Step 7:

   

   Combine the garlic, herbs, and salt in a bowl. Grind everything together with a pestle or spoon.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour in the olive oil and stir. Leave it to infuse for 10 minutes.

9. Step 9:

   

   Peel the cucumbers and cut them into small cubes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato, pour boiling water over them, and leave for 3–5 minutes. Then drain the water and peel the tomatoes.

11. Step 11:

    

    Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds. Then cut the flesh into small cubes.

    To speed things up, you can purée the peeled tomatoes in a blender and then press them through a sieve to remove the seeds.

12. Step 12:

    

    Put the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, marinated onion, and the herb-garlic-oil mixture into a blender jar or a deep bowl.

13. Step 13:

    

    Blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth.

14. Step 14:

    

    Pour the soup into a pot. Add 1 cup (200–250 ml) of cold boiled water and stir. The exact amount depends on the thickness of your purée — the water shouldn't thin the soup out too much. Refrigerate the soup for 1 hour.

15. Step 15:

    

    Ladle the chilled soup into bowls. Add white-bread croutons, diced cucumber, and herbs to each. Enjoy!