Good Gazpacho

What do you like to eat in the dog days of August?

I don't like anything heavy. Preferably vegetarian and light.

This cold tomato and vegetable soup, also knows as gazpacho, is perfect for hot summer nights on the patio with a hunk of bread.
It is also great as a salsa for shrimp cocktail.

It's Ina's recipe, so you know it's good.
I used different color peppers to make it more colorful.

Gazpacho:

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow pepper, cored & seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups of tomato juice (I used low sodium)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
I added 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced for some heat (optional)

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 over process!

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.



Enjoy and stay cool.