The first meal I ever ate in Spain was homemade Gazpacho. I thought I had never tasted anything so wonderful in all of my life. Granted I had just returned from a 3-day hike in the Pryenees…so any solid meal would have tasted wonderful. This fresh cold soup has become a summer favorite of mine. Use it to cool off on a hot Louisiana day. We know they are coming fast!
INGREDIENTS
• 2- 2½ lbs vine ripe tomatoes (Fresh is best but you can use canned if needed)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic (I like a lot so adjust according to your taste)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped (About 6-8 inches)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• ¾ cup chopped white onion
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp balsamic crème (can use vinegar if you don’t have crème)
• ¾ cup olive oil (adjust for richness)
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ Black Pepper ( I love pepper so adjust to your taste)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
• Small chuck of fresh bread about 5 inches worth (can use French/Italian style or Focaccia- it needs to be thicker)
DIRECTIONS
Chop all vegetable/bread into small chucks. This can be rough as you are going to blend together. Begin to pulse. Slowly add oil and vinegars. Keep blending until smooth. Add all dry ingredients (cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper). Slowly mix in small bread pieces. Blend by pulsing until the soup is smooth. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The flavor develops over time so the longer the better.
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