Got lots of ripe tomatoes? Gazpacho is delicious on a hot day. This recipe doesn’t involve peeling the tomatoes, contributing to the easy breezy summer feeling.
| 2 lbs | ripe red tomatoes, cored and quartered |
| 1 | Anaheim, or other long, light green pepper, cored, seeded and cut into chunks |
| 1 | cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and cut into chunks |
| 1 sm | mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks |
| 1 | green onion, sliced, |
| 1 clove | garlic |
| pinch | cumin |
| 2 t | sherry vinegar, more to taste |
| salt | |
| ½ c | extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling |
Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender. Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy. Transfer to a bowl and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight. Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water.
Serve with parsley, a few drops of a nice olive oil and croutons if desired.
Serves 4-6 as a starter.