Tomato Gazpacho with Croutons

For the gazpacho, rinse the bell pepper, trim, cut in half, remove the seeds and ribs. Peel the cucumber. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling salted water. Place the blanched tomatoes in ice water and then peel, quarter and remove the seeds.

Remove the brown edges from white bread and soak 3 slices in 3-4 tablespoons lukewarm water. Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the tomato, red bell pepper and cucumber coarsely. Strain the tomato pulp through a sieve and add to the tomato juice.

Make a puree of diced vegetables, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato juice, soaked white bread, lemon juice, paprika and 2 tablespoons olive oil. If the puree is too thick, add some water. Season with salt, sugar and pepper and put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

For the croutons, dice the remaining two slices of white bread and fry until golden brown for 1-2 minutes in the remaining olive oil.