Gazpacho - Two Recipes for Summer

Gazpacho is great for the summer and requires no cooking.  Below are two different recipes. The first is a recipe my parents have been raving about, originally from SimplyRecipes.com.  The second is for an authentic Spanish Gazpacho from The Splendid Table guest David Rosengarten.  It makes a creamy, silky soup with just a few more steps, but less ingredients, than the first recipe.

Simply Recipes Gazpacho (gluten free)

INGREDIENTS

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 purple onion, finely chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (omit for vegetarian option)

4 cups tomato juice

METHOD

Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, nonreactive

storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Serves 8

Gazpacho in a Pitcher From The Splendid Table  

Ingredients

2 ounces stale Italian or French bread, with crust

1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, stems removed

1/4 lb. Vidalia onion

1/4 lb. cucumber

1/4 lb. green bell pepper

1/4 lb. red bell pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vinegar de Jerez

(For the best results, puree the vegetables in a Vita-Mix and strain through an Anolon cone strainer. If a Vita-Mix and Anolon strainer are not in your cupboard, it is delicious simply whirred in a food processor or blender.)

Instructions

1. Break the bread into large chunks, place chunks in a bowl, and cover with cold water (about 1 1/2 cups). Soak until the bread is fairly soft, but not mushy, about 1-2 minutes. Squeeze the water out of the bread with your hands, and place bread in the container of the Vita-Mix.
2. Cut the tomatoes in quarters, and scoop out the seeds with your fingers. Discard seeds. Cut tomatoes in large cubes (you should have about 1 1/2 cups), and add to container.
3. Peel the onion, and cut into large dice (you should have about 1 cup). Add onion to container.
4. Peel the cucumber and cut in half the long way. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, and discard seeds. Cut cucumber into large dice (you should have about 2/3 cup), and add to container.
5. Remove the stems and seeds from the green bell pepper and the red bell pepper. Cut each into large dice (you should have about 1 cup of diced green pepper, and about 1 cup of diced red pepper). Add cut peppers to the container.
6. Add olive oil and sherry vinegar. Turn Vita-Mix on at low speed, then ratchet up to high. Blend on high until the mixture is very smooth and velvety, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, then blend on high for a few seconds more.
7. Pour the gazpacho through the Analon Cone Strainer into glasses, or into a pitcher. Push gazpacho through the strainer with a spatula or wooden spoon. But it is important that you do not force through every last drop; leave the last bits of bready sediment behind in the strainer. Discard periodically. And don't scrape the gazpacho film that's on the bottom of the strainer into the finished gazpacho; simply clean your strainer under cold running water every few minutes, washing off the gazpacho film into the sink.