Gazpacho

Did you know that gazpacho makes the perfect summer dinner? No, you didn't know that? Don't worry - I didn't know either, until I made it . . . and then ate it for dinner three consecutive nights in a row. It was easy the first night - chop vegetables, dump them in a food processor, whisk in a couple of additional ingredients . . . but nights 2 and 3 were even better - just take it out of the refrigerator and pour into a soup bowl. No cooking involved - which is great, considering the horrible heat and humidity!

If you haven't tried gazpacho, it is a cold tomato and vegetable soup. The best way I could describe it is that it's kind of like a cross between tomato soup and salsa. I made gazpacho this week because Meryl chose it for the second June Barefoot Bloggers recipe (Barefoot Bloggers are food bloggers who cook recipes from Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa). Anyway, if you haven't tried gazpacho, you should . . . it's a nice antidote to the summer heat.

Gazpacho
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)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately throw all the chopped vegetables and onion into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped - or until mixture reaches desired consistency.

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.