eating well in May - a gazpacho

May in France is the month of long weekends, bank holidays,family get-togethers with the inevitable never-ending  meals.

It is also the time of year when summer is looming large and we are glad to have put heavy winter meals behind us.  So what sort of thing do we like to serve at a spring family reunion?

One of our favourite summer dishes is a gazpacho.  More spanish than French, but easy to prepare and popular with most people.

No cooking required but definitely need a mixer.  I love this dish because it is healthy, quick to prepare providing you start the day before, bright in colour and infinitely adaptable.

I have experimented with quite a few combinations of ingredients, but here is this year's favourite.  Quantities are for 4-6 people.

Cut up 4-6 large ripe tomatoes, an onion (I prefer red) a clove of garlic, a red pepper, a cucumber (peeled) and a few sprigs of chives.  Put them in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and leave in the fridge overnight, or for at least 6 hours.   Put about 300 grammes of white bread into a bowl with enough water to half cover.

When you are ready to mix, squeeze the water out of the bread and throw it into the mixer along with all the prepared vegetables.  Start whizzing, and as it comes together trickle olive oil into the mixture.  You will add at least 100ml of oilive oil, so make sure it is a good quality oil.

Adjust the seasoning, you can add some tabasco and you may need some more salt and leave in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

This soup looks spectacular served in individual portions, maybe with some toasted croutons, personally we like a little grilled chorizo sausage crumbled over the top!

Bon appetit mes amis!

photos thanks to google images