Gazpacho!

This soup never turned my head until our days at the Renn Faire.  90+ degrees in costume called for lunch that was not just "not hot," but COLD.  The soup and bread booth brought gazpacho one day, and that was it.  I was in love.

I'm seeing lots of people with an overflow of tomatoes and cucumbers, so here's a great idea to help use them up!  We're in the middle of a l-o-o-o-o-ong heat wave here, so this looks delicious.

From the Jul/Aug 2008 issue of The Essential Herbal

Louisiana Lagniappe
from Sarah Liberta

Gazpacho

Spain’s famous salad-soup is a delicious go-to dish for hot summer days.  Made in the blender or food processor, it’s ready to chill in minutes.  Instead of the usual tomato juice base, I prefer using vegetable juice cocktail, which enhances the complex flavor blend of the fresh veggies and herbs.

INGREDIENTS

2 large ripe tomatoes

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

2 green onions

1 small sweet onion

2 ribs celery

3 cloves garlic

6 cups vegetable juice cocktail (1 48-ounce can)

2 Tblsp wine vinegar

2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Cut vegetables into large chunks and add to blender or food processor with all other ingredients.  Blend or pulse a few seconds, leaving small bits of vegetable for texture.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Chill in the refrigerator several hours, allowing the flavors to marry.  Serve in chilled bowls, and garnish with thin cucumber slices or finely chopped fresh herbs.  If you prefer the texture of hand-cut vegetables, use 1/4-inch dice and skip the blending/processing.

herbsbysarah.com

Baton Rouge, LA