Gazpacho

Since Shauna's shower was held over lunch on a hot summer day, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at gazpacho which is a traditional Spanish tomato soup that is served cold.

I was not able to find a recipe I loved on the Internet so I combined several recipes to come up with my own and it turned out fantastic. I served the gazpacho in my punch bowl with plastic cups for easy to handle servings.

Serves 8

5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

4 cups vegetable juice

Tabasco

Salt

Pepper

Roughly chop the vegetables and herbs.

 

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and puree until the desired consistency is reached.

 

Add the vinegar, oil, lemon, sugar and vegetable juice. Stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste. More vinegar or lemon juice can be added if the soup is not tart enough. Serve cold.

 

 

Amy

Tip: To peel the tomatoes, put the tomatoes in to a pot of boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skin starts to bubble or crack. Remove from the pot and place in to an ice bath. The skins will then pull right off the tomato!