There are as many gazpacho recipes as there are families who make it, and I have eaten both traditional versions that are basically tomato, bread and sherry vinegar and funky ones, including an almond and green grape one (which was tasty). Below is my go-to gazpacho recipe which you will need to adapt to your taste - less salt, more vinegar, less cucumber, different vegetables, etc. Also, I really like the vegetable flavor to shine through in my soup so, rather than soaking bread in water and whizzing it in with the veggies as is traditional, I make crispy croûtons to serve on top instead.
I find gaspacho very filling as is but, since I am working within the requirement of a teen's appetite, I added avocado for L. to bulk it up a bit. This actually created a nice textural contrast. On really hot days, I pop a few ice cubes in the soup bowls to add to the cooling effect of eating a cold soup. Were I to make this in advance, I might make ice cubes from some of the soup itself and add those instead.
This recipe serves 2 people as a meal soup or 4 as an appetizer. Multiply as needed and omit the avocado if you want a less hearty soup.
P.S. 7/22/18 - A reader asked why my gazpacho was not red. It is not a lighting problem in the photo as he suggested but because I used a mixture of yellow and red tomatoes, orange peppers and the flecks of dark green of the basil add to the color as well. If you use red tomatoes and red peppers you should have a red soup.
2 ripe summer tomatoes, roughly chopped, seeds and all
1 pepper, seeded
1 cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 shallot, peeled
1 avocado (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped basil
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsps rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp + 2 tsps olive oil (can be omitted if watching calories but adds a nice mouth feel)
4 slices sandwich bread of your choice, cut into rounds
Salt and white pepper to taste
Chopped jalapeño for garnish (optional)
Place the 2 teaspoons of oil and the crushed garlic clove in a skillet and set aside off the heat so that the oil can absorb the garlic flavor.
In a blender (or a large bowl using an immersion blender) blitz the tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, shallot and basil until you reach the consistency that you like. A lot of people like it very smooth but I prefer a very fine texture.
Add salt, pepper, the vinegar and the remaining olive oil and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (I like the vinegar to be a background note rather than a big punchy flavor in the soup). Place in freezer to chill while you get the croûtons ready.
Turn the heat on medium under the garlic oil and heat until sizzling. Add the bread rounds and cook for a minute or so on each side until the bread is nice and crispy and has absorbed the garlic oil. Remove from the heat.
If using the avocado, cut into chunks and divide 3/4 of the pieces between the 2 bowls. Top with soup and finish with the bread rounds on which you have placed the remaining avocado and some finely chopped jalapeño, if using.