Gazpacho

There is a hard fight between paella and gazpacho to become the national meal of Spain. While for foreigners it's quite clear paella wins the race, for spaniards probably gazpacho is the winner, specially in summer time. Gazpacho is a cold soup of mixed vegetables with an intense red or orange color, really healthy and source of wonderful vitamins since no vegetable has been cooked in its preparation. Sometimes this soup is called "tomatoe cold soup". That's a bad translation since heavy part of its taste is due to the cucumber and the red pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Lb of red tomatoes
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 cucumber
• Hard bread
• Lemon (optional)
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Olive oil

First let's peel tomatoes and peppers. Wash well vegetables and make some not very deep cuts in the skin. With a couple of cuts will be more than enough. We set fire to a large pan with water and bring to boil. In another saucepan we put cold water with ice cubes. First place into the boiling water the tomatoes for 10 seconds at most. Then we withdrawn and immediately carry to the ice water. If everything has been smooth, skin is wrinkled and lifted separation of meat by made cutting. Easily remove the skin. With red and green peppers do the same while maintaining the vegetables one minute at least. It is very important to remove the skins, please do not jump this step. If you do not you do the gazpacho would be bitter. Once we have removed the skins proceed to remove the seeds and leave only the meat. We also peel the cucumber with a knife. We soak in cold water the hard bread just to make it soft. Now take the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, wet bread , onions, a jet of olive oil and garlic clove (do not put garlic if you feel disturb with the taste) to the glass of the mixer and crush until they are very thin. With ice water begin to dilute the cream resulting from the crushing and occasionally we pouring a little salt, a teaspoon of vinegar and a little lemon instead if we are not so keen on vinegar. Taste from time to time while mixing to rectify salt. Soup should be liquid but still a bit thick, that's the right point. Needless to say, served cold or very cold.