15 Feb The Bannockburn Hotel and Restaurant

Prophet’s Rock Wine Club – Restaurant Feature.

* Recipe:

Gazpacho – Andalucian cold tomato soup

Serves 6-8

For the soup:

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup sherry vinegar

½ cup Oloroso sherry

¾ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil or the best quality oil you have

For the garnish:

2 1 inch-thick slices rustic bread

¼ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

½ cucumber, diced

½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced

½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced

Sea salt to taste

To make the soup, combine the cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, sherry, olive oil and 2 cups of water in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until everything is well blended into a thick pink liquid. Pour the gazpacho through a medium sieve into a pitcher.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

For the garnish: Preheat oven to 220˚C. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and toss in a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set the croutons aside to cool.

To serve, pour the chilled soup into cups or bowls. Top with croutons, cucumbers and peppers. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

* The Match (wine):

Prophets Rock Infusion –Fresh, vibrant fruit flavours of the infusion make this a perfect pairing for this refreshing summer soup. Both are perfect for a long lazy hot lunch, refreshing the palate and feeding the senses