Savory Tomato, Cucumber & Basil Smoothie

Why it works

Not every smoothie has to be fruit, and the savory ones solve a problem the sweet ones have: no sugar load at all. Tomato is the main dietary source of lycopene, the carotenoid most associated with cardiovascular and prostate outcomes in population studies, and lycopene is unusual in becoming more available when tomatoes are processed rather than less, because heat and blending break the cell walls that trap it. Olive oil is doing two jobs: it carries the lycopene, which is fat-soluble and poorly absorbed without it, and it brings the polyphenols that a good extra-virgin oil is valued for. This is essentially the Mediterranean pattern in a glass, which is the pattern with the strongest evidence behind it for how long people live.

Ingredients

• 350 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 150 g cucumber, roughly chopped
• 15 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove
• 20 g raw almonds
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Pour the liquid into the blender first, then add the soft ingredients, then anything frozen or hard on top. Blending in that order keeps the blades in liquid instead of spinning against a frozen block.
2. Add the olive oil last and blend only briefly on low. Extended high-speed blending can turn good extra-virgin oil bitter.
3. Chill for twenty minutes before drinking. Served cold the flavours settle; served straight from the blender the tomato tastes raw and thin.
4. Blend on low until it breaks up, then on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until no flecks remain and the texture is even.
5. Taste and adjust: a splash more liquid if it is too thick to pour, a squeeze of citrus if it tastes flat, a few more ice cubes if you want it colder.
6. Drink it soon after blending. The texture separates within about ten minutes, and the colour dulls as the cut surfaces oxidise.