Gazpacho

Gazpacho is one of those dishes that screams summer to me. It's all about fresh-from-the-garden veggies, about a touch of spicy in a cool summer soup.


One of my old standbys is a recipe I pulled from Real Simply years ago. It's a quick and easy version with corn and tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers that you don't cook. Yum yum yum.

I've also been contemplating The Pioneer Woman's gazpacho recipe. It looks pretty darn tasty. But then again, so does everything on her blog. That's why I'm obsessed. Duh.

Last time I made gazpacho, however, I tried a new recipe I spotted in a recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens: Chilly Chile Pepper Gazpacho. There isn't any method to my recipe-picking, in case you're wondering. I spot something with ingredients I like, I spot something that looks good, so I tear the recipe out and vow to make it someday.

(The recipe stockpile in my cupboard, by the way, drew an exclamation of surprise from My Sister when she started snooping through the kitchen last night. "Girl, you need a binder for these," she said. I suppose I do. I'll put that on the list, which means I'll get it next January or February.)

Anyhow, so this BHG recipe involves a bit more work than my old standby. But I was drawn to it because it has a kick to it, and that's somewhat of a prerequisite if Conservative Boy is going to try it.

First you roast six large tomatoes (cored, halved, and seeded), one medium onion, and four cloves garlic in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.


Then, place the tomatoes in the food processor (or, in my case, the blender). Process the tomatoes until smooth, then remove them from the processor and transfer them to a bowl.


Now add the onion, garlic, one medium cucumber (peeled, seeded, chopped), one medium sweet pepper (seeded and cut up), and four medium jalapeno peppers (seeded and cut up) to the food processor. Cover and pulse with on/off turns until they're chopped.


Add the processed vegetables, 2 11.5-ounce cans hot vegetable juice, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, two tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the tomatoes.

Cover and chill at least four hours or up to 24 hours. (Shh ... don't mention I'm repeating the pic from above. I decided the others weren't satisfactory and reserve the right not to post them.)


Serve with flaked, canned crab meat and chopped fresh chives if you like (although I found both unnecessary). Enjoy.