Gazpacho

Since we’ve been in the midst of a heat wave for the past month here in New York, we’ve been living on dinners that require little to no cooking. Now that tomatoes are in season, gazpacho is a perfect option – delicious, easy and healthy. I prefer to leave my gazpacho chunky so instead of using a blender, I dice all of my vegetables very small. Most people use a blender so the directions below reflect that.

If you’re looking for a little thicker soup, an avocado adds a lot of body. Mash the avocado in a separate bowl and add about 1 cup of the soup to it and blend completely. Then mix the avocado-soup mixture into the remainder of the gazpacho.

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Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ red or green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 ¾ to 2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ quarts fresh or canned tomato juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco, optional

Instructions

Process onion, garlic, bell pepper, and cucumber in blender or food processor.
Add vinegar and process until still chunky or until lightly blended and smooth.
Add tomatoes and tomato juice and process until mixture is as smooth as desired.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco, if using.
Serve well chilled.
Can be garnished with finely diced onion, chopped tomato or bell pepper, or diced cucumbers.

Yield: 4-6