Gazpacho with Avocado & Prawns
Introduction
Serves: 6
Ingredients
½ telegraph (tender-skinned) cucumber
1 x 400g (14 oz) can Spanish or Italian chopped tomatoes
1 slice stale sourdough bread, without too much crust
2½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (sweet)
1½ tsp salt
1 medium-sized red pepper (bell pepper / capsicum), halved, deseeded, cored and finely chopped
2 Tbsp Spanish sherry or red wine vinegar
1 cup tomato juice, chilled
Topping
1 ripe but firm avocado
1 Tbsp lime juice
Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 fresh hot red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
6 large raw prawns, thawed if frozen
Olive oil
Method
1 Finely slice onion and soak in icy cold water for 15 minutes. Peel cucumber, cut flesh lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a pointy teaspoon. Chop flesh coarsely. Put tomatoes in a bowl and, using a teaspoon, scoop out as many seeds as possible and discard.
2 Fry the bread in 1 tablespoon of hot oil until crisp. Chop bread roughly and put it in the bowl of a food processor with the garlic and the rest of the oil. Process to as paste.
3 Drain onion and add it to processor bowl along with the smoked paprika and salt. Blend until smooth. Add red pepper and blend again until smooth. Add cucumber and tomatoes and process until very smooth. For extra smoothness, pass soup through a coarse sieve set over a bowl. Stir in sherry or red wine vinegar and tomato juice, adding a little chilled water if necessary to thin the soup.
4 Cover and refrigerate gazpacho for several hours, then check seasoning; it may need more salt as chilling numbs the flavours.
5 Transfer gazpacho to a freezer at least 45 minutes before serving so that icy shards start forming around the sides of the bowl.
6 Meanwhile, make the topping. Halve avocado, remove stone and peel. Dice flesh finely, transfer to a shallow bowl, then sprinkle with lime juice and a splash of extra virgin oil. Sprinkle over chopped chilli and coriander. Cook prawns on a preheated oiled barbecue hot plate over high heat for 2-3 minutes each side. Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pan over medium heat and when hot, drop in prawns. Cook quickly on both sides, just until the prawns change colour.
7 Ladle soup into chilled bowls and put a spoonful of seasoned avocado and a prawn on top. Serve immediately.