Gazpacho is one of my favorite summer soups. I love the tang on my tongue with that first spoonful that’s quickly followed by the sweet crunch of the fresh vegetables. It’s full of goodness. I use yellow and orange bell peppers because of their bright and cheery color that stands in contrast to the deep red of the tomato. The colored peppers are very high in vitamin C, too.
Summer Harvest Gazpacho
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 plum tomatoes
- 2 English or 4 pickling cucumbers, skin on
- 1 organic yellow bell pepper
- 1 organic orange bell pepper
- 1 large, sweet yellow onion
- 1 bunch of scallions (thinly sliced)
- 1C chopped fresh cilantro (1 large bunch)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 – 26 oz boxes of crushed tomatoes
- 26 oz. of water (fill the empty tomato box to measure)
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, and minced
- ¾C Bragg’s raw cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- ½C EVOO
- 2T sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions: Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onion into 2” chunks. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the vegetables until they are the size you prefer (minced or chopped) and add them to a large, non-reactive stock pot.
NOTE: I like to process the vegetables separately and use the “pulse” button to control the timing, but you can also hand chop the vegetables if you prefer. If you over-process the vegetables, you get vegetable purée. NOT good.
Add the sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, boxes of crushed tomatoes, water, lime juice, minced jalapeño peppers, vinegar, and EVOO. Stir to combine. Add the salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings. If the soup is too thick for you, add more water and readjust seasoning. Refrigerate an hour before serving. Serve cold.
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