Summer Holiday Gazpacho

In my make-believe world, I split my summer holiday between Greece and hobnobbing with my friends in the Hamptons. One of my make-believe friends, the Barefoot Contessa, is always inviting me over for some scrumptious meal that she whipped up in the same amount of time that it takes me to go to the bathroom. One of my favorite dishes that she (ok, me) makes in the summer is her cooling gazpaho. Normally I'm not a gazpacho-kinda girl, but something that the Barefoot Contessa does just makes it more delicious. Maybe it's the intoxicating Hamptons air, her relaxing way in the kitchen, or the wonderful use of seasonal ingredients at their best. Any way you make it, it's delish.

Gazpacho nocoupons

• 1 cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• shot of Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Don't over blend it, or it will turn into a gazpacho smoothie/slushie that is really unappetizing to look at or eat. 

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Comments

[kelly]

mmm. this sounds heavenly!

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