Chilled Green Gazpacho Soup

I loved, loved, loved this chilled soup friend Valene served at the beginning of our Bon Appetit dinner.  Since we were having a full (and fabulous) meal- I would serve this in a smaller portion (like a shrimp cocktail size).  The flavors are unbelievable!

Chilled Green Gazpacho Soup

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1½ cups whole-milk plain Greek yogurt, divided
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 oz. ciabatta or country-style bread, crust removed, bread torn into 1” pieces (about 2½ cups)
• 1 medium English hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, cut into large pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 4 large tomatillos (about 12 oz.), husked, quartered
• 4 scallions, cut into 1” pieces
• 2 jalapeños, seeds removed, chopped (friend Valene used much less)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
• Piment d’Espelette or Hungarian hot paprika (for serving)

• Whisk vinegar, lime juice, 1 cup yogurt, and ½ cup oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add bread, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatillos, scallions, jalapeños, garlic, and ¾ tsp. salt and toss to coat (make sure bread is well coated so it can soak up as much flavor as possible). Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
• Working in batches, purée bread and vegetable mixture in a blender until very smooth; transfer to a large bowl and season gazpacho with salt.
• Whisk remaining ½ cup yogurt in a small bowl, thinning with water a tablespoonful at a time, until the consistency of heavy cream; season with salt.
• Serve soup in chilled bowls. Drizzle with thinned yogurt and more oil and sprinkle with piment d’Espelette.
• DO AHEAD: Gazpacho can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Mix well before serving.