Gazpacho is a Spanish, cold tomato soup. I learned about it in 7th-grade Spanish class; but I really did not try it until I was at a nice restaurant, on my honeymoon. It is delicious! And it's the perfect recipe for this time of year when the ripe tomatoes are abundant!
Unfortunately it is one of those recipes where I don't really have exact measurements of the ingredients. But you'll figure it out. ;-)
GAZPACHO
*3-6 slices of French bread [shouldn't it be Spanish bread?]
*2-3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
*1 red onion, peeled and diced
*1-2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
*1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced or 1 mild chili pepper, diced or a combination of bell pepper and a mild chili
olive oil
red wine vinegar, to taste [well really the whole recipe is "to taste"]
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic, to taste (optional)
[The honeymoon gazpacho also had some medium-size shrimp in it. Mmmmm!]
* Don't forget--these are not exact amounts; you just make this soup to taste!
Remove and discard the crusts form the bread; tear bread into chunks. Place the bread pieces into a large bowl and soak in water--just enough to make the bread a little soggy, but without leaving it in standing water. [I know, this sounds weird. Just trust me.] Add tomatoes, onion, cucumber and peppers. Puree in blender until homogenous--or use your magic wand [hand-blender--every kitchen should have one!]. Drizzle mixture with olive oil and add vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic to taste; stir well. Chill until ready to serve.
This makes a nice, cool appetizer or side-dish. It is very pretty with some of the diced veggies and a sprig of parsley or cilantro for garnish. :)
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