Gazpacho

I'm not normally a lover of gazpacho - anyone else think it just tastes like runny salsa? It's been soooo hot here tho that the thought of making hot soup is out of the question - that's probably the reason that when I saw this gazpacho recipe from Anne Burrell (Food Network) I was willing to give it a try! That and the fact that this recipe has bread in the base, I've never heard of that (I don't know, is that standard in gazpacho? Just because I've never heard of it doesn't mean it isn't a normal thing).

I followed this recipe to a T other than using a red onion because that's what I had on hand (and it was too strong in the gazpacho, don't recommend using that kind) and an orange pepper because I don't like green bell peppers. Oh, and I substituted bloody mary mix for the tomato juice - and this soup turned out great! I will make this again many times this summer, especially if this flippin' heat continues...

Ingredients:

• 8 slices white bread, crusts removed, bread broken into big chunks
• 2 pounds tomatoes, seeded
• 1 english cucumber, peeled
• 1 large white onion
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds and pith removed
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• kosher salt
• high quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup tomato juice, if needed

Directions:

1. Soak the bread in a medium bowl of water to soften, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl.
2. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, 2/3 of the cucumber, 1/2 the onion, and 1/2 the pepper and add to the bread. Add the garlic, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to combine and let sit for about 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and to let the salt pull some moisture out of the tomatoes.
3. Meanwhile, for the garnish, dice the remaining cucumber, onion and pepper into 1/4" dice and reserve. (NOTE: I did not make garnish...as you can tell from the picture hahah)
4. Working in batches, puree the tomato bread mixture in a blender with the vinegar. Blend in tomato juice to loosen the mixture if needed. Remove soup to a large bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of high quality olive oil. (NOTE: I used less oil, didn't want to add that many calories!)
5. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
6. Chill. Serve cold garnished with the diced cucumber, pepper and onion. Drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired.

4 servings

Click here for the original recipe source

one year ago: 3 ingredient sangria
two years ago: Kyle's mushroom rice