BIG TONI’S ITALIAN KITCHEN

For six people

• ◆     1kg ripe plum tomatoes, deseeded chopped
• ◆     1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• ◆     1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• ◆     1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• ◆     2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• ◆     2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• ◆     75g stale white  sourdough bread, chopped
• ◆     2–2½ tbsp sherry vinegar
• ◆     1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• ◆     For the toast
• ◆     8 thin slices of sourdough bread
• ◆     Olive oil

How to make:

Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the bread and season well with salt and pepper. Add the sherry vinegar sweet paprika and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and mix well, I use my hands. Cover and put in the fridge, Leave to marinade for at least 1 hour or even better overnight.

Put the whole mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You want it think rich and smooth, if its not rich enough add some more olive oil.  You can also add a little more vinegar but make sure you taste it, you don’t want to add too much. Cover and chill again,  you want this cold, cold, cold.

When your nearly ready to eat, make the toast, place a griddle pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the bread and toast on either side until golden and crunchy, you can also toast the bread over a BBQ.  Once golden brown drizzle with olive oil and season.        

Serve the soup ice cold with gazpacho ice cubes, (you can make these in an ice tray a couple of hours before you serve)  sprinkle with basil, an extra drizzle of olive oil and the toast.

We serve ours in glasses with a sprig of celery and a turn or two of pepper

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