Summer Gazpacho

Summer is officially here which means I can start enjoying tomatoes again. I like to slice them and top with thinly sliced red onion and blue cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. This really hits the spot on a sizzling summer day. Hot days also call for cold soup, of which gazpacho is probably the most well-known. I found a really simple recipe which doesn't call for any bread as some will. Allow the flavors to incorporate. The beauty here is that this soup gets better with time. Consider topping with avocado if you so desire.

From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, 1999.
Serves 4-6
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over process!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Yvette Roman Photography ©, 2008