Saturday, June 4, 2011

Gazpacho

I fell in love with this soup when I went to Spain a few years ago. There are a million versions of it, but here is my favorite. I love to hit a farmers market on a Saturday morning, then make a batch to have for lunch for the rest of the week.
  • 3 lbs fresh summer tomatoes (9-10 medium)
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 bell or red pepper
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 5-6 garlic cloves (or less, to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons red vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice (about 2, fresh squeezed)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste (I use 2-3 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
  • 6 tablespoons fresh spice (dill, basil, coriander... use your favorite)
  • dry bread crumbs
Peel and seed cucumber. Seed pepper. Peel garlic cloves. Chop them and onion in food processor. Coarsely chop herb. Blanch tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water, remove skins. Some people seed tomatoes at this point, but I don't). Puree tomatoes in blender, add rest of vegetables, vinegar, lime juice, salt, pepper and herb. I like my gazpacho smooth, so I blend it all up throughly, but if you like it chunkier, process it less or don't blend all the chopped vegetables. Chill several hours or overnight. Serve in bowls with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs sprinkled on top.