Andalusian Gazpacho

Serves 4

• 2-2.5 pounds tomatoes, quartered
• 2 slices of good crusty bread
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup blanched or toasted almonds
• 2-3 cloves garlic (3 if you like the taste of raw garlic, 2 if not)
• 2 T very good extra virgin olive oil. Spanish tends to be a little on the spice side which is not necessarily a good thing in such an acidic soup
• 1 T very good, sweet balsamic vinegar. May also use white balsamic. Sherry vinegar is also an option, but tends to make it a little too acidic
• 1/2 peeled English cucumber
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt to taste
• Optional: ½ tin anchovies
• Garnish: julienned basil (1/2 mm julienne), olive powder, etc.
• Special Equipment: Chinoise and pestle(optional)

Tear apart bread into pieces and place in a bowl. Pour water over the bread and allow to sit until all water is absorbed. If a fair amount of bread is still dry, add a touch more water.
Place bread, almonds and garlic in a food processor (NOT a blender, it won't work—too thick). Push down sides periodically until you have a relatively uniform paste. If adding anchovies, add now and process till evenly distributed. Add tomatoes to the food processor, processing as you add them. Add olive oil. Taste and add more olive oil if desired. Process till a uniform texture is achieved. Add cucumbers and continue to puree until uniformity is achieved again.

If you like, strain through chinoise. Usually I just leave it as is. The texture is not as velvety, but it still tastes very good.

Add salt to taste. It does not have to be perfect; you will adjust the seasonings again after chilling it.

Chill in the refrigerator till cold (3-4 hours). When ready to serve, add vinegar to taste; adjust salt.

Despite being quite light, this soup is very rich. This serves four normal people with a very appropriate soup-sized portion. You cannot make just a meal of this though. For gazpacho lovers (like me), this serves 2-3 people.