Gazpacho al estilo de Patricia (Patricia's Gazpacho)

I think this gazpacho recipe, created by my wife Patricia, must have been made in thousands of homes across America by now. It was published in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and I've also made it with my friends on the "Today" show on NBC. If you missed it somehow, you'll be glad to have it now; it's the perfect gazpacho. (And just in case you're wondering, my wife is not looking for a job in a restaurant.)

Serves 6-8

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup Oloroso sherry
¾cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil


For the garnish:

2 1 inch-thick slices rustic bread
¼ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
½cucumber
Sea salt to taste

To make the soup, combine the cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, sherry, olive oil and 2 cups of water in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until everything is well blended into a thick pink liquid. Pour the gazpacho through a medium-hole strainer into a pitcher. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

For the garnish: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and toss in a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set the croutons aside to cool.

When you are ready to serve, slice the cucumber into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Put a few croutons, cherry tomato halves and cucumber ribbons in each bowl and pour the gazpacho over them. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Adapted from Made in Spain Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen by José Andrés. Published by Clarkson Potter.