Gazpacho

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Gazpacho is cold tomato soup.  DON’T LEAVE.  The words “cold,” “tomato,” and “soup” admittedly do not paint a sexy word picture, which is why I am here to do my best to win you over, word by word.

Let’s start with “cold.”  When it’s hot outside, what types of things do we crave?  Things that are cold.  Cold enough to bring a slip of relief from the sweltering heat and the onslaught of sticky, humid air.  Bonus points if the cold food happens to have crunch (which gazpacho does in spades), and double bonus points if nary a stove was lit to produce said cold food (two for two).  Give me cold food or give me death.

Moving on to “tomato.”  Don’t get hung up here.  Ten months out of the year, I’m not a tomato fan either.  For two months in the summer, when tomatoes actually taste the way God intended them, I can handle tomatoes.  But this soup does not require a love of tomatoes for it to be enjoyed.  It does require a general sense of vegetable enjoyment, but even that is tempered by the acidity of the white wine vinegar and the richness of the olive oil.  Gazpacho is salad that you eat with a spoon.  

Lastly, “soup.”  Think:  elegant first course.  Think:  a lunch that travels well and is ready when you are.  Think:  the thing you pack to take to the pool when you want to feel healthy but don’t want to bother with lettuce.  Think:  the snack you can eat right out of the fridge and actually feel better about yourself afterwards.  The fact that gazpacho is soup makes it infinitely portable, flexible, and the perfect summer accompaniment to whatever else is going on around you.  

If you’re still reading, bless you.  I’ve done my best to paint a picture of how satisfying gazpacho can be.  As an added incentive, this recipe is raw, vegan, gluten-free, and paleo (I am not even a little bit of an expert in these things, but it seems right?).  

I love to top gazpacho with cubes of avocado and grilled shrimp for a perfect meal.  The soup takes two seconds to whip together (thanks to the food processor), and while it is delicious on day one, it is heavenly on day three and sublime on day six (if it lasts that long).

Are you in?  Ready to try?  Click below for the recipe!

Gazpacho

This chilled tomato soup only gets better as it sits in the fridge.

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Ingredients

• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1/4 of a small red onion (or more if you're into red onion, which I am no)
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onion into large chunks.
• Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse each ingredient until it is coarsely chopped.  DO NOT OVER-PROCESS!!
• After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Mix well and chill before serving.  The longer you let it sit, the better it becomes.  This will keep in the fridge for a week.

Notes

One of my favorite ways to garnish this soup (and turn it into a meal) is with fresh avocado and grilled shrimp.  

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELIZABETH McLAURIN