Gazpacho Coolers

• 2½ cups rustic bread pieces, torn by hand
• 2½ lb. very ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped (about 5 cups)
• 1 medium English cucumber, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (2 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (1 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. fresh oregano
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ Tbs. white wine vinegar
• 1¼ cups tomato juice
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Working in batches if necessary, pulse the bread, tomatoes, half of the cucumber slices, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the oil, vinegar, and ¾ cup water and pulse again. Pass the soup through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pushing on the solids with the back of a ladle to extract as much of the liquid as possible.

Cover with plastic, and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Meanwhile, arrange the remaining cucumber slices on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or waxed paper and freeze. Fill an ice cube tray with the tomato juice and freeze.

When ready to serve, season the gazpacho to taste with salt and pepper. Pour it into small chilled cups and add a frozen tomato juice cube and a frozen slice of cucumber.