2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed in a press
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
A pinch of Espelette, cayenne or Aleppo pepper
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup best-quality olive oil
(See below for garnish ideas)
Peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop the tomatoes in the water for 10 seconds, drain and run cold water on them to stop the cooking. The skins will slip off easily. Core them and cut them in half horizontally. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Working over the sieve so the bowl catches the juices, gently squeeze the tomatoes and use your fingers to remove the seeds, letting them drop into the sieve. Once all the tomatoes are seeded, press the seeds with the back of a spoon to release all the juice into the bowl. Discard the seeds.
Add the vinegar and the bread to the bowl with the tomato juices (if you have indeed peeled them) and toss to combine. For the more rustic version, simply place the bread in a small bowl and pour the vinegar over it.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine about half the tomatoes, half the cucumber, half the soaked bread (with some of the liquid) and half the red bell pepper. Transfer the pur?e to a large bowl. Put the rest of the tomatoes in the food processor with the remaining cucumber, soaked bread and liquid, bell pepper, garlic, salt, Espelette (or cayenne or Aleppo) pepper and the water, and pur?e till smooth. With the motor running, pour the olive oil in a stream through the top.
Transfer the contents of the food processor bowl to the bowl with the first batch, and use an immersion blender to make the pur?e as smooth and frothy as possible. When you think it’s smooth enough, pur?e it a little more. Correct the seasoning, adding salt or red pepper if needed.