I really can’t remember the first time I ate gazpacho.  But I feel like I’ve loved it for a long time, and when I see lovely ripe tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market and it’s so stinkin’ hot, I have to make gazpacho.

I love it for a bunch of reasons.  I love being able to taste every single vegetable in each bite.  I love how it chills me right to the core.  And I love when it’s so spicy my eyes water.

After looking through a bunch of recipes, I made my own.  Mind you, this is not traditional, so you won’t find bread in this soup, but you will find seasonal ripe veggies.  If they aren’t ripe or local, they just aren’t worth eating.

Enjoy!

4-6 large tomato chopped  – 1 cup put aside

1 large cucumber – peeled and chopped – 1 cup put aside

1 large red onion – chopped

3 large stalks of celery – chopped – 1 cup put aside

1 yellow pepper – chopped – 1 cup put aside

Cilantro (amount to your liking) – chopped

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Lemon Jiuce

4 cups Tomato Juice (I use V-8, seems to have the most real food ingredients)

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Hot Sauce

Makes about 8 servings.

Put chopped veggies and cilantro in a blender or food processor and pulse to desired consistency.  I do it just a wee bit of processing, I like to chew this soup and taste each vegetable in each bite.

Pour into a non-reactive bowl, add the Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Tomato Juice, salt and pepper / hot sauce to taste and mix together.  My blender and food processor aren’t big enough to hold it all, but if they are, you can put it all in and blend away.

I’m thinking about other gazpachos.  I’ve had a beet gazpacho that was so amazing I just can’t forget about, and it might be my next gazpacho….