Gazpacho

Serves 6

To me, a good gazpacho is coarse and rough, very much a peasant dish. From southern Spain, its strong, ripe flavours should taste of sun, heat and the dry earth in which all these ingredients thrive best. I have eaten gazpacho served in little chilled glasses as smooth as can be – grown-up and refined – but I prefer to eat it as it is served here.

1 large cucumber, sliced in half, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 red peppers, sliced in half, deseeded and coarsely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 large bunch of basil, leaves only
1 generous bunch of mint, leaves only
11/2kg/3lb very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1in slice of stale coarse bread (say, ciabatta)
1tbsp blanched almonds
2tbsp red-wine vinegar
3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt

Once you have prepared all the ingredients, put them in a food processor and blend-pulse four or five times, until you have the consistency of a rough soup. Taste and adjust as you see fit; concentrate on the salt, as it is that which will bring out the bold flavours of all the other ingredients. Prepare in batches if necessary. It is best to eat on the same day as you make it, as the flavours tend to fade quite quickly. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve in well-chilled soup plates.