Tomato Gazpacho

Contributed by The Ashby Inn and Restaurant

Note: Chef Tom Whitaker prefers to provide the ingredients in metric measurements; a converter to American measurements can be found  here.

Ingredients

• 150 g yellow onion
• 1.6 kg ripe red tomatoes: beefsteak or roma
• 6 g garlic
• 800 g red peppers
• 400 g cucumber
• 12 g basil
• 50 ml white balsamic vinegar
• 30 g salt
• 7 g sugar
• 250 ml extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of cayenne

Method

1. Peel peppers and deseed
2. Peel cucumbers, halve and deseed
3. Rough chop all vegetables into a large container and marinate with the sugar, salt, basil, cayenne, and vinegar for 6 hours or overnight
4. In batches, add the mix to a blender and emulsify with the olive oil till smooth and silky.
5. Freeze bowls and serve super-chilled for a refreshing summer lunch

Note: Alternatively the ingredients and oil can be run through a food processor or even a meat grinder for a chunkier version. At the Ashby, we emulsify three-quarters and grind the remaining for a best-of-both-worlds gazpacho.

Did you see our profile of the Ashby Inn, and 3 other Piedmont restaurants, in our July/August issue? Read it here