Summer and soup - in the heat this can be a refreshing encounter! In cold form, soups are a flavourful highlight and a healthy snack at the same time. The high liquid content quenches thirst on hot days and the vitamin-rich vegetables supply the body with important nutrients. The Moors already knew this when they served up a white garlic soup in southern Spain about a thousand years ago - the forerunner of gazpacho. With the addition of tomatoes and peppers from the New World, the cold vegetable soup became the Andalusian national dish and is now considered a classic of cold soup cuisine. The cool soups are also very popular in other countries. With regional ingredients, they refine every summer buffet - from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean.

Preparation:
Wash everything well and pat dry. Remove the stems from the rocket and set half aside. Put 5 strawberries to one side. Chop the rest of the vegetables with the toast and place in a blender. Blend finely on the highest setting and slowly pour in the olive oil. Now season with salt, sugar, pepper and vinegar and strain through a sieve, refrigerate.

Dip half of the grissini in strawberry jam and wrap the ham around it. Now dice the remaining 5 strawberries and mix with the roughly plucked rocket and arrange in the centre of a deep plate. Pour the gazpacho around it and place the grissini on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

This is a recipe by star chef Mathias Apelt

Romantik Hotel Kieler Kaufmann, Kiel (DE)