Gazpacho

A recipe for gazpacho was my first request since starting this blog so it had to come pretty early on. Besides its summer, our gardens and farmers markets are just bursting with the freshest ingredients for this summer favorite. Make a big bowl of this cold soup, it keeps well for a couple days but the veggies start to get soft after that and I like mine with a bit of crispness still in it.

Gazpacho

1 hothouse cucumber halved, (seeding or peeling is optional depending on your preference)

2 red peppers cored and seeded

4 plum tomatoes

3 stalks celery (leaves add flavor)

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic minced

3 cups V8 or tomato juice (low sodium)

1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Rough chop the vegetables into 1 inch chunks. Put each vegetable separately in food processor and on pulse until coarsely chopped or finely mince by hand. Do not over process!

After each vegetable is processed combine them in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients.Mix well and chill. The longer this soup chills the better the flavors develop, so make it early. And serve it for lunch or dinner, Want to add a little protein? Toss in a couple cooked shrimp when you serve. Yum!!!