- 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded – not peeled
- 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
- 1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
- 4 juicy red tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (lime or lemon juice works fine too)
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pulse all ingredients separately in your food processor and combine into a large bowl. Season with Salt & pepper. Refrigerate and enjoy the next day to let the flavors meld.
- There is not much to making this soup but the results are incredible. Gazpacho is basically a liquid salad. It originated in the Southern region of Spain’s Andalusia and generally has the same types of ingredients.
- An interesting piece of information is that José Briz, who wrote a book on gazpacho, also suggests that the word derives from the Hebrew gazaz, meaning to break into pieces, referring to the bread base. Gazpacho was traditionally eaten by workers in the fields, whether they were vineyards, olive plantations, citrus groves, wheat fields or cork farms. Originally gazpacho was nothing but bread, water, and olive oil, all pounded in a large wooden bowl called a dornillo. It was poor people’s food. More on that from the knowledgeable Clifford Wright, here.
- Over time, people have learned to enjoy a cool gazpacho during hot summer days. My father in law requested one for Father’s day and he loved it. I added some avocado in at the end for the creamy texture.
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Get creative with your toppings – just as you would with salad. Make it your own!