Gazpacho

From the garden

• 2½ lb very ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chunked, a few dice reserved for garnish
• 1 medium sweet bell pepper, seeded and chunked
• ¼ medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic

From the pantry

• ⅓ cup olive oil · your best bottle; it's half the flavor
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar · sherry vinegar if you have it
• 1 slice crusty bread, crust removed (optional) · the traditional thickener (adds body)
• salt · to taste

1. Put the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, garlic, vinegar, a teaspoon of salt, and the bread (if using, soaked a minute in water and squeezed) into a blender. Work in batches if it's tight.
2. Blend on high a full 2 minutes, until completely smooth, longer than feels necessary. The long blend is what makes gazpacho silky instead of salsa-like.
3. With the blender running, stream in the olive oil so it emulsifies; the soup will lighten to a pale orange-red and turn creamy.
4. Taste and correct: it usually wants more salt and another splash of vinegar than you expect, since chilling mutes both. Strain through a coarse sieve if you want it restaurant-smooth.
5. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until properly cold. Serve in bowls or glasses with the reserved diced cucumber and a thread of olive oil on top.