Gazpacho was born in the fields of Andalusia as a laborers' meal, bread pounded with garlic, oil, vinegar and water, and it only turned red once tomatoes arrived from the Americas and settled in. Today it lives in a jug in nearly every Andalusian fridge from June to September, drunk from a glass as often as eaten from a bowl. Spain's Grand Prix spent the late 1980s at Jerez de la Frontera, the sherry town, and the vinegar that gives gazpacho its bright edge comes from the very same cellars.

It needs no cooking, only ripe tomatoes and a blender, and it is the most sensible thing you can serve on a hot race afternoon. The traditional recipe keeps onion and red pepper out of the blender; the green pepper is what gives it that fresh, grassy perfume.

The gazpacho

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 lb (1 kg) very ripe tomatoes
• 1 small Italian frying pepper
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 slice (about 1 1/2 oz / 40 g) day old white bread
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold water
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Put the tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, garlic, squeezed bread, vinegar, salt and water in the blender. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. With the blender running on medium, pour in the olive oil in a slow, thin stream. The oil emulsifies into the soup and turns it creamy.
3. Pour the soup through the fine sieve into the bowl or pitcher, pressing with the back of a spoon to push through as much as possible. Throw away the seeds and skin left in the sieve.
4. Taste and adjust: more salt if flat, a few drops more vinegar if it lacks brightness, a splash of cold water if too thick. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

The garnish

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cucumber
• 2 tablespoons green pepper
• 1 hard boiled egg
• 1/2 cup small bread cubes
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Put the bread cubes in a dry skillet over medium heat and toss for 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Put the diced cucumber, green pepper and chopped egg in small dishes so each person can add their own.

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