Strawberry and tomato gazpacho
Serves 6 Preparation time 30 minutes
Serve cold – make it the day before and chill it in the fridge. Remember to chill the glasses or bowls in which you’re going to serve the gazpacho an hour or so beforehand, too. The secret to this dish is to use fully ripe tomatoes and strawberries, or it will be bland.
YOU NEED
• 40g blanched almonds (without their skins)
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ teaspoon (2,5ml) salt
• a small handful of basil leaves
• 1 small red chilli, seeds removed
• ¼ cucumber, roughly chopped
• 100g-150g strawberries, coarsely chopped
• 600g ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) red-wine vinegar
• a dash of lemon juice
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
THIS IS HOW
Place the almonds in a dry pan and season with freshly ground black pepper. Toast the almonds until they turn slightly brown, then pulse in a food processor to form a powder. Add the garlic, salt, basil and chilli, and pulse until smooth.
Add the cucumber, strawberries and tomatoes and blend – you may need to work in stages, depending on the size of the pieces and the capability of your machine.
Stir in the red-wine vinegar and olive oil. Taste and season with more black pepper and, if necessary, more salt and red-wine vinegar. Refrigerate the soup to chill completely. Taste again before serving, and divide among six bowls, each with a few drops of lemon juice and olive oil drizzled over. >