This recipe is based off from the gazpacho that I learned from Sandra Holl at Floriole Bakery. Before tasting Sandra’s gazpacho I always thought that it was like eating watery salsa and who wants that. Floriole blends their gazpacho and in the final blending emulsify some olive oil to give this vegan soup a rich, creamy mouthfeel to balance the acidic edge of the tomatoes. Floriole always used fresh, very ripe tomatoes that have the extra water squeezed out. I like to remove the water by roasting the tomatoes first and this is a great way to use the tomatoes we freeze in the fall.

Ballymaloe, where I went to cooking school, always paired tomatoes and mint together and I have never lost the affection for that flavor combination. And I turn the bread into croutons with a good amount of olive oil to add the toasty flavors and some fat to the soup.

• 1 bu mint
• ½ C olive oil
• 2 qt roasted tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 cucumbers
• 3 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• ½ C olive oil
• 3 slices good white bread

1. Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and toss liberally with olive oil and toast until golden brown
2. Slice all the vegetables into smallish pieces and combine into one bowl.
3. The vegetables don’t have to be super small because everything will be blended until it is smooth, but the smaller they are the less work the blender will have to do and generally the smoother the soup will be.
4. In the blender (I use a vitamix and love it) blend the mint and olive oil until smooth
5. Transfer the mint oil to a squeezy bottle or container
6. In the same blender combine the vegetables, croutons and tomatoes and blend in batches until smooth
7. In the final batch, drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify
8. Cool and then taste adjusting the salt as desired
9. Ladle the soup into a bowl and drizzle with the mint oil and yogurt