Gazpacho with feta cheese

Spanish cold tomato soup, gazpacho, is a first-class dish to enjoy during the Mediterranean summer.

Materials

1 kilo of ripe tomatoes
2-3 slices of white, stale bread
One small onion, finely chopped
150g peeled, seedless, diced cucumber
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of white vinegar
One coffee cup of chopped mint leaves
75ml extra virgin olive oil
salt, freshly ground pepper
200g feta
a few sprigs of mint or lovage

Procedure

Step 1

Peel the tomatoes by blanching them for 2 minutes in boiling water. Cut them in half and remove the seeds. Cut them into smaller pieces and put them in a pot.

Step 2

Remove the crust from the bread and soak it in cold water. Squeeze and crush it with your fingers.

Step 3

Pour the bread, onion, and cucumber into the pot and blend with a blender until they become a paste. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper and beat at medium speed. Add the olive oil little by little, beating constantly. Taste and add whatever is missing. Transfer the soup to a pitcher and keep it in the refrigerator.

Step 4

Crumble the feta with a fork and leave it in the fridge.

Step 5

Before serving, stir the mint into the soup and divide it into cups, glasses, or bowls. Sprinkle the feta on top and decorate with mint leaves.

Ilias Mamalakis is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos. 

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