Gazpacho has been part of Spanish kitchens for centuries. Long before tomatoes arrived from the Americas, it was made with bread, garlic, olive oil and almonds, which have always been part of our food culture. It began as field food, crushed by hand in mortars and eaten by workers under the sun with nothing but stale bread and whatever else they had to hand alongside. No blenders, no chill time, just instinct and hunger. This version, with courgette and basil, goes back to that idea: take what’s around you and make something good out of it. Simple roots, but full of life.
Courgette and almond gazpacho
Prep 5 min
Steep 10 min+
Cook 10 min
Chill 1 hr+
Serves 4-6
2 medium courgettes
½ cucumber
Sea salt and black pepper
80g stale white bread
75ml whole milk
100g toasted marcona almonds
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 handful basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish
Coarsely grate the courgettes and cucumber into a large bowl, sprinkle with sea salt, then tip into a sieve, set it over the bowl and leave to steep for a good 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, break up the bread into a medium bowl, add the milk and leave to soak.
Squeeze out any excess liquid from the salted courgette and cucumber mix, then tip them into a blender. Add the soaked bread and any milk it hasn’t soaked up, then add the almonds, garlic, vinegar and 500ml cold water. Blitz smooth, then taste to check the seasoning – you shouldn’t need any extra salt, but a touch of ground black pepper may be in order. Add the basil leaves and blitz again.
Pour the soup into a large jug or bowl, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Once chilled, check the consistency of the soup – if you feel it’s a bit too thick, add up to 200ml more cold water, to loosen.
Ladle into bowls, top with a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a grind or two of black pepper, finish with a scattering of extra basil leaves and serve.
