I love gazpacho; I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I have spent years trying to get the “right” gazpacho recipe.  I really wanted to find one I liked that did not use tomato juice, that always felt like “cheating”.  I have finally found one that I consider worth sharing.  This recipe is an adaptation of one in Real Simple magazine.

I like to think of gazpacho like a taco bar – serve the soup along with little bowls of your favorite add-ins.  The add-ins add texture, enhancing the mouth feel of the soup.

When I taste the soup, I close my eyes and my mind travels to joyous trips to Mexico – pass the tequila!

Gazpacho

2 lbs tomatoes – the riper the better, coarsely chopped (from the garden)

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic or 3 garlic scapes, chopped

1 large cucumber, coarsely chopped (from the garden)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Toppings:

small cucumber – small dice

tomato – small dice

parsley – chopped

scallions – chopped

hot sauce

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and cucumber – it is best to work in batches. Transfer to a bowl and stir in oil, vinegar, salt (start with 1/2 tsp) & pepper – adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour.

 

Serve with toppings arranged so everyone can add what they like. Enjoy!

Serves 4