Gazpacho Andaluz de Tooting, by Rob Allen

One of the best things to have in your fridge in this un-seasonable snap.

Very easy, if you have a food processor, a mix of Simon the Good Cook’s recipe & Jamie Oliver’s from his Spanish travels.

1) Rip the bread up, remove crusts (for feeding to the ducks later). Add a splash of water to turn the remaining soft, doughy portion of the bread into a squishy mess.

2) Blast it all together using the ice cubes as the water portion, adjust volume accordingly. Salt and pepper and a dash of Tabasco, which makes it.

In my experience, in Andalusia they don’t bother putting it through a sieve to get the “cheffy” smoothness, and I prefer the natural texture. You can drizzle a little more oil on top before serving & add home-made croutons, if desired.

Ingredients

1 cucumber – peeled

1 green pepper – de-seeded

Half a stalk of celery –leaves removed

1 full tray of ice cubes

1 clove of garlic

A handful of fresh mint

a quarter of a loaf of stale white bread

a good lug of excellent quality olive oil

a splash of really tasty, posh vinegar (white wine, sherry, raspberry & lavender)

oh yes, and 6/8 big, ripe vine tomatoes.

Wine to match has to be Spanish of course– try our Albariño Santiago Ruiz 2011 or the fantastic Finca Remendio Rueda 2011 or even a sherry (fino or manzanilla).

*Quantities are by eye /hand as cooking is more of an art than a science, in my opinion.

Written by Rob Allen, London Trade Sales