CREAMY GAZPACHO

Creamy Gazpacho image

Provided by Kelsey Nixon

Time 2h10m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 cups white bread, preferably day-old (or toasted), crusts removed and torn
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded (reserve the seeds and tomato juice) and flesh roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 English cucumber, roughly chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for serving
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Steps:

Place the bread in a large bowl. Pour the reserved tomato juice over the stale bread and set it aside for at least 10 minutes. Not only will this soften the bread, but also infuse it with the tomato flavor.
In a food processor or a powerful blender, add all of the chopped vegetables. Puree the vegetables until they start to breakdown.
Add the bread and the sherry vinegar to the blender. Turn the blender on and stream in the olive oil. Puree the mixture until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the consistency is too thick, add water or more vinegar if you like, to adjust the thickness. Place the gazpacho into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to marry with one another.
Serve the gazpacho in glasses, like they do in Spain, or you can serve it in bowls if you prefer.
Cook's Notes: To make your gazpacho spicier, add some of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeno. You can adjust the oil and vinegar in this recipe to make it tangier if you like!
Gazpacho gets better the longer that it sits.