Serves 6-8
Ingredients
3/4 cup olive oil
18 Roma tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 slices sourdough bread
2 medium cucumbers
1 jalapeño pepper
2 red bell peppers
1/2 cup celery hearts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 small yellow onion
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
Cilantro or basil for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cut the tomatoes in half. Season the cut side of the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes cut side down on baking sheet. Bake until the skin easily peels away from tomatoes, about 20-30 minutes, depending on ripeness. Cool.
Dice the bread into medium- sized croutons. In a mixing bowl, toss the croutons with another tablespoon of the oil and bake on a baking sheet until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool. Roughly chop the croutons and set aside.
Pass the tomatoes through a food mill with medium disc into a large mixing bowl.
Peel and seed the cucumbers, discarding the ends. Roughly chop the cucumbers. Cut off the stem of the jalapeño and roughly chop the pepper. In a food processor, puree the cucumber along with the jalapeño. Add 3/4 of the cucumber mixture to the tomatoes and reserve the remaining mixture. Seed, stem and de-rib the bell peppers. Roughly chop the peppers and the celery and puree it them in the food processor and add to the tomato mixture
Mince the garlic by hand. Finely dice the onion by hand. Add the onion and garlic to the tomato mixture.
Add half the bread crumbs, the water, the remaining oil, sherry vinegar, and salt and pepper to the gazpacho. Chill for at least 1 hour. Taste again and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Garnish with the cucumber mixture, basil and cilantro and bread crumbs. Pass the cucumber mixture and the bread crumbs at the table.
