Green gazpacho

There are a million recipes around for gazpacho, which is by far my favourite cold soup. This one, a green variation, is loosely based on tarator, a cold yogurt and cucumber soup from the Balkans.

General

• Serves 6
• Source: Ottolenghi, Plenty

Ingredients

Croutons

• 2 thick slices sourdough bread
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• salt

Salad

• 2 celery stalks (including the leaves)
• 2 small green bell peppers, seeded
• 6 mini cucumbers (1¼ lbs), peeled
• 3 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
• 1 fresh green chili (or less if you don’t want it too hot)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1½ cups walnuts, lightly toasted
• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 4 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
• about 2 cups water
• 9 oz ice cubes
• 2 tsp salt
• white pepper

Instructions

1. To make the croutons. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread into ¾-inch cubes and toss them with the oil and a bit of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the croutons turn golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down.
2. Roughly chop the celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, bread, chile and garlic. Place in a blender and add the sugar, walnuts, spinach, basil, parsley, vinegar, oil, yogurt, most of the water, half the ice cubes, the salt and some white pepper. Blitz the soup until smooth. Add more water, if needed, to get your preferred consistency. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning.
3. Lastly, add the remaining ice and pulse once or twice, just to crush it a little. Serve at once, with the croutons.