Serves: 4 (makes 1.25 litres)
Preparation: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
125g day-old crusty white bread
4 carrots (about 400g) peeled and trimmed
2.5 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 salad onions, trimmed
200g tomatoes, roughly chopped
100g cucumber, roughly chopped
1 romano red pepper, roughly chopped
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
1tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1/2 tsp caster sugar
Method:
1. Cut off and discard any crusts from the bread, then tear into 3-4cm chunks. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Finely dice 1 carrot and toss with ½ tsp sherry vinegar; set aside. Finely slice the salad onion greens (you need only about 2 tbsp in total) and set these aside too.
2. Roughly chop the remaining 3 carrots and salad onions and place in a large blender with the rest of the ingredients. Squeeze the excess water from the bread, then add to the blender along with 250ml fresh cold water. Season and whizz until smooth. Check the seasoning and add more vinegar, salt or sugar to taste, then whizz again.
3. Chill the gazpacho until really cold (or serve immediately with ice cubes), then pour into bowls or glasses. Garnish with the drained pickled carrot, the salad onion greens and a drizzle more oil.
Cook’s tip: Soaked bread is traditionally used in gazpacho to give it a creamy texture. For a gluten-free alternative, use 50g unsalted cashews, soaking them in cold water first, just as you would the bread.
This recipe appeared within the July 2019 recipe card collection. Recipe cards are free to pick up every month in Waitrose & Partners stores.