Gazpacho

I have to admit that I’m not a great fan of gazpacho—I’m just not a fan of cold soups, in general. I do acknowledge that gazpacho is such a healthy summer option, though. So in the spirit of trying recipes that one may not typically choose as part of Barefoot Bloggers, I thought I would give it a go. This recipe was selected by Meryl of My Bit of Earth.

This is a light, fresh, tasty gazpacho that can’t be any easier to prepare. There’s no actual cooking involved at all. It’s just a matter of rough chopping the veggies, tossing them in the food processor (one at a time), and stirring together with the remaining ingredients.



Source: Gazpacho, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
1 hothouse 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)
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup good olive oil
½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
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. Do not overprocess!

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.