Gazpacho with Olive Oil Croutons

By SallySmo

Ingredients

• 2 large, ripe, juicy tomatoes, cored
• 1 shallot
• 2 Persian cucumbers, or 1 medium Kirby cucumber, seeded and peeled
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, optional
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 cups roughly torn sourdough bread without crust
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves

Details

Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop tomatoes, shallot, cucumbers, celery, bell pepper and garlic, then place in a food processor. Purée until vegetables are finely minced and soupy. Pulse in vinegar and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt, pepper and Worcestershire, if using. Pulse in half the oil. Refrigerate soup until chilled, at least 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss sourdough pieces with enough of the remaining oil so that bread is well saturated. Season with salt, and spread on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

3. Ladle chilled gazpacho into bowls and garnish with croutons and basil. Drizzle with additional olive oil, season with salt and serve.