Serves 4

Although this soup is traditionally served in bowls, I like to have a bit of fun with it by adding a shot of vodka and serving it in shooter glasses.

2 x 450g of tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 red peppers, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 loaf of ciabatta bread (or day-old french bread), crusts removed
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 limes, juiced
1tbsp sherry vinegar
1 cup of cold water
2 red chillies, chopped
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped + extra for garnish
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 oz vodka

Put the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion, parsley, garlic, chillies and bread in a bowl.  Add a good pinch of salt.  Using your hands squeeze everything together to create a thick paste.  Add the cold water and let stand for a few minutes.  Add the lime juice and sherry vinegar to the bowl.  Using a blender, puree it until it is almost smooth and then pass the mixture through a sieve into a bowl.  Stir through the olive oil and Tabasco sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Chill until ready to serve, at least 1 hour.  Before serving stir in the vodka and using a funnel pour into tall shot glasses.  Top with finely chopped onion and parsley.

photography: Roderick Chen