This Recipe is part of the Sunset Cocktail Soiree Light Summer Spanish Fare Menu
Ingredients
1 kg ripe plum tomatoes, quartered and seeds removed
1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cucumber (about 20 cm)
1 large red pepper, quartered
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-1/2 thick slices of old white bread, crusts removed
750 ml passata*
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (white wine vinegar can also be used)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Ice cubes, to serve
For the Herb Croutons
4 thick slices of white bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
1 teaspoon sea salt
*Passata is a cooked tomato concentrate; tomato paste can be used as a substitute.
Directions
1. Place the tomatoes, onion, three-quarters of the cucumber, three-quarters of the red pepper, the garlic, bread, tomato passata, olive oil, Tabasco and sherry vinegar in a blender or food processor and whizz until everything is smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/fan 200ºC/gas 8.
3. To make the croutons, remove the crusts from the bread and cut each piece into approximately 1cm-thick strips, then cut each in half again to give you small fingers. Toss with the olive oil, herbs and salt.
4. Tip on to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and crunchy, turning a couple of times throughout the cooking time. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5. When you are ready to serve the soup, remove it from the fridge. If it seems too thick, then just add a little cold water to loosen to your desired consistency.
6. The remaining cucumber and red pepper can now be cut into small cubes and mixed with the chopped parsley.
7. Ladle the soup into small bowls or cups. Add an ice cube or two to each one and spoon some of the cucumber and pepper into the middle. Drizzle a little olive oil around the outside, add a twist of pepper and serve with the herb croutons.
Serves 8
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Recipe excerpted from In the Mood for Entertaining by Jo Pratt. Published by Penguin. Copyright 2009 by Jo Pratt. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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