Gazpacho

Perhaps the best cold soup in the world: the Andalusian gazpacho. This tomato soup is perfect for the summer, when you have been swimming all morning at the sea or the swimming-pool and you come home tired, hot and ready for a new refreshing lunch before your siesta.

Here in the USA I couldn’t find the right tomatoes for this recipe of my mother's, so I just used canned tomatoes instead.

10 ingredients. I cook it very slowly while listening to flamenco music, for inspiration, ha, ha. I put in the blender one chopped clove of garlic (which gives the zest and panache), a pinch of salt, a little bit of mint (yerbabuena in Spain, my father's addition), one chopped green pepper, half a peeled and chopped cucumber, a piece of bread (previously soaked in water), about 100 ml of cider vinegar, about 250 ml of olive oil, a can of Dei Fratelli crushed tomatoes and water. I press blend and all the different buttons like crush, etc. for about 5 or 10 minutes and then I pour it all in a large bowl which I set inside the refrigerator for about 4 or 5 hours. Ready to serve.

It really is my favorite dish and the most famous Andalusian dish all over the world. Yum! And after the delightful taste I start feeling drowsy and I’m ready for a nap. What a life!