One of the most lingering memories of my time in Andalusia, Spain – setting for my new novel, Indiscretion– is of flavours. Succulent tomato. The very freshest of fish. Fragrant olive oil. The salty tang of Serrano ham. Delicious!

It was a real pleasure, while writing Indiscretion and keeping the Andalusia spirit alive, to experiment in the kitchen with traditional dishes from the region, and my favourite of all is the gazpacho.

I first tasted gazpacho not in Spain but in Egypt. I was pregnant with my first baby, and we lived in Cairo at the time, which was hot, ever so hot. My husband suggested I try making gazpacho because his parents had lived for a long time in Spain and his mother used to make it in the summer when he went there on holidays. I loved it at first sip, and now we often have it in France on hot summer days.

Gazpacho dates back a long way. Some say it was developed from an old Arab soup made from bread, olive oil, water and garlic that the Moors brought to Spain; others cite the Romans as having invented the dish. Certainly, it has been a staple in Andalusian cuisine for hundreds of years, and has provided sustenance to all, from peasants and farmers all the way up to the gentry, for a starter, a main dish or a tapa.

Recipes vary, but the traditional gazpacho has a base of garlic, stale bread, olive oil and salt mixed to a paste, and then ripe tomatoes and vinegar are added, along with vegetables. In times gone by the ingredients were mushed up using a pestle and mortar, and some chefs still use this method in preference to a blender.

Gazpacho comes in three colours:

• Red is the most common, and contains plenty of tomato.
• White doesn’t contain tomato, but dried fruits instead.
• Green is the same as white but is coloured by the use of spices.

All sorts of additions may be made, from avocado to watermelon, grapes to strawberries, meat to seafood.

When I make gazpacho, I stick to a simple recipe, as follows, and then have fun with garnishes.

Ingredients

Slice of stale bread, soaked in water for 1/2 hour and then rung out

2 lbs very ripe tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 cup water

½ cup olive oil

½ onion, peeled and chopped finely

½ cucumber, peeled and chopped finely

Clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Pinch salt

1. Mix the garlic, olive oil, salt and bread to a paste, using a pestle and mortar or a blender.
2. Add the other ingredients and puree (roughly for a chunky consistency).
3. Refrigerate for two hours.
4. Taste and season.
5. Serve with any of the following garnishes: cherry tomatoes, croutons, fresh bell pepper slices, diced tomatoes, cucumber, hard boiled eggs, chopped ham, chopped almonds, cumin, mint or orange segments.

Enjoy!