Heirloom tomato gazpacho

Ingredients

Diced vegetable garnish
1/2 red onion, diced small
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced small
1each red and yellow bell pepper, skinned, seeded and diced small
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Soup base
3 lb. vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds and trimmings
1 cucumber, peel removed
1 red bell pepper, pith and seeds removed
Cucumber and sweet pepper trimmings from Diced Vegetable Garnish recipe
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Parsley croutons
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf day-old country bread, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, skin on
4 sprigs thyme
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. chiffonade parsley
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Diced vegetable garnish
Place onion in a small bowl. Add lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Add cucumber and peppers (save trimmings for soup base). Add olive oil and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Soup base
Combine vegetables, vinegar and lemon juice in a blender. Purée on high speed. Gradually stream in olive oil while blender is running. Strain soup through a fine sieve. Chill soup and season with salt and black pepper.

Parsley croutons
Heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add bread, garlic and thyme. Cook until bread turns a golden brown, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add parsley and lemon zest during the last minute of cooking, tossing to combine. Transfer croutons onto a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

To serve
Ladle the soup base into each of 8 chilled bowls. Place a heaping spoonful of the diced vegetables in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with parsley croutons. Drizzle a fine extra virgin olive oil around each bowl and finish with a crack of fresh black pepper.

Serves 8