Ingredients

• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored
• 1 medium green bell pepper, halved, and seeded
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded
• 1 small red onion, peeled and halved
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
• 1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley, chives, or basil leaves
• cracked black pepper
• kosher salt

Directions

1. Chop 2 pounds of tomatoes, half of bell pepper, half of cucumber, and half of onion. Place into a large bowl. Add chile, garlic, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Set aside.
2. Dice remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper. Place vegetables in medium bowl. Mince remaining onion and add to the bowl of vegetables. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt. Place into a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Set aside for 1 hour.
3. Place drained diced vegetables in a medium bowl and set aside. Add bread to exuded vegetable liquid and soak for about 1 minute until the liquid is absorbed and then add to the roughly chopped vegetables. Toss thoroughly to combine.
4. Place one-half of vegetable-bread mixture to blender and process for 30 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup oil. Blend for about 2 minutes until completely smooth. Strain soup through the fine-mesh strainer into large bowl using a rubber spatula to press soup through strainer. Repeat with remaining vegetable-bread mixture and add ¼ cup olive oil.
5. Stir in vinegar, minced herbs, and half of diced vegetables into soup and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to chill completely and develop flavors. Serve with the remaining diced vegetables, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and black pepper.