Green Gazpacho

~adapted from Delicioso! The regional Cooking of Spain, from member Sue

• 4 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 pickling cucumbers (i haven’t been particular about this and put in any cuke), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (I usually use white wine vinegar, maybe with a drop of sherry, because I don’t have sherry vinegar), or to taste
• 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup finely chopped leaf lettuce

Tear bread into bite-sized pieces. Place in bowl and cover with water.  Let soak 10 minutes.  Remove bread and squeeze out excess moisture.

In a food processor, pulse garlic, onion, cucumbers, bell pepper, cilantro, parsley, and salt until very coarse.  With machine running, add bread, then the oil, sherry and wine vinegars, and the one cup water.   Transfer mixture to a bowl.  taste for seasoning and add more salt or sherry vinegar if you like.  Stir in the lettuce.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until well chilled.  taste again for seasoning and adjust.