Quick Gazpacho
Here on the west coast we are in full summer heat and enjoying the bounty from the garden: fresh herbs and luscious vegetables just screaming… eat me, eat me So today on opening the fridge to grab a quick lunch it was obvious that I needed to choose something in the veggie department as I had purged all the cheese in an effort to fit into summer clothing. I usually have a selection of peppers as well as cucumbers and tomatoes and I wanted something quick as per usual I had waited until I was starving and about to gobble anything at hand – summer clothes be damned. So what do you make with just veggies? Seemed pretty obvious to me: Gazpacho. I had some great harissa oil from Olive the Senses to add just the right kick so we were off to the races and eating gazpacho in almost minutes.
6 medium ripe tomatoes
1 sweet pepper (yellow, red or orange) seeds removed and chopped
1 English cucumber chopped
½ medium red onion chopped
2 stalks celery
1-2 cloves garlic or several garlic scapes for a milder flavour
1 ½ tbsp. (or to taste) red wine, sherry or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce or harissa or hot pepper olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
Peel the English cucumber and if you don’t like the seeds, scoop them out with a spoon. I like the texture so tend to leave them in. Chop the other ingredients so that they will be small enough in the food processor. Add all the ingredients into the food processor and blend until the consistency is to your liking. I prefer to let individuals add their own salt but feel free to salt to taste. Refrigerate for several hours to let flavours meld or eat immediately.
Gazpacho is one of those summer dishes that is bright, refreshing and can be tarted up with just a few extra ingredients so that it meets whatever flavour craving you are having. I often switch between herbs such as tarragon, basil, chives and summer savory but you could also add cilantro or any other herb that you would normally use with tomatoes. Enjoy!
