Gazpacho Sevillano

Peeling the tomatoes and red bell pepper and puréeing the ingredients as smooth as possible makes for an elegant version of Southern Spain's famous cold soup, as we wrote about in “How to be blown away by your own gazpacho.” For a quicker version, don't bother peeling either, and don't worry about seeding the tomatoes; just core them and cut them up before tossing them into the food processor. Either way, using super-ripe, flavorful tomatoes, sherry vinegar and the best possible olive oil in the right proportions will result in gazpacho that will blow you away. Note: The easiest way to peel a bell pepper is to seed it, cut it into thick strips and peel them with a vegetable peeler.

To achieve maximum smoothness, I usually purée the ingredients in a food processor (in a couple of batches), then pour them in a bowl and use an immersion blender to purée them super-smooth. Alternatively, if you happen to have a Vitamix or other high-powered blender, you can use that for a super-smooth purée. 

Feel free to riff on the the garnishes, adding anything that sounds great. For a special (non-vegetarian) dinner-party version, consider including lump crabmeat or chopped cooked shrimp. You can either garnishes the bowls in the kitchen, or serve bowls ungarnished and pass an assortment of garnishes in small bowls at the table. 

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

FOR THE SOUP:

3 pounds ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 1/2 to 3 ounces French or Italian bread, crusts removed, torn or cut into small pieces (about 2 cups)