Gazpacho--cool soup for hot nights

Many, many years ago, in what really feels like a former life, I was invited along on a business trip to Spain. Those were the days when Wall Street was flying high, and all expenses paid meant staying in some pretty gorgeous places. We visited paradors, the state run hotels housed in old monasteries, castles and haciendas where  breakfast buffets were served up on thick-planked farmhouse tables and creamy, thick yogurt, crusty breads and sweet buns jostled for space with  fried chorizo in paprika-red pools of spicy oil. 
The itinerary stretched from the small walled city of Ávila, to Segovia with it's Roman aqueduct still looping over the landscape, then south across the golden, rolling wheat fields of the plains to Granada where Africa feels but a stone's throw away. There were so many good things devoured on that trip, but the one that always stood out in my mind was the gazpacho I had on that first night in Madrid. 

The Ritz hotel has a garden terrace restaurant protected by high walls to buffer the honking bustle of taxis and city buses on the busy streets just beyond. Twinkling lights are strung from the arching boughs of trees overhead. Each tables is set with little terracotta bowls of olives and Marcona almonds.

The heat of the day was waning by the time we sat down to eat, but it was still far too hot and sticky to order a full, heavy meal. Thus, I ended up ordering what turned out to be the best gazpacho I have ever tasted.

Recipes for this simple vegetable soup abound, and it's another one where you really can't go wrong. It can the thickened by adding day-old bread, or as they did at the Ritz, using finely ground, blanched almonds....maybe that's why theirs was so tasty.

GAZPACHO

Serves 6

• 3 lbs ripe tomatoes (I favor the little grape or cherry tomatoes unless you are getting nice fresh ones in the summer)
• 1 small English cucumber, peeled
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 slice crusty white  bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces (I toast it for a little extra flavor)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mild vinegar (like Sherry or Champagne)
•  ground black pepper
• A serrano chili, if you want more zing

Add all the vegetables to a food processor or blender and mix until completely puréed, add the bread, oil, salt, pepper and vinegar. Blend again until fully emulsified, adjust seasoning, and chill well. Serve with crutons and a dry, crisp white like a Savignon Blanc.

And here's a little culinary trick: I use my blender for this, and the easiest way to clean it is to add soapy water and run it again, then a quick rinse and it's all clean.