Gazpacho

Today I was watching the Food Channel and one of the cooks was making gazpacho -- not the way I learned to make it -- but it looked good if you like a very, very, thick soup. To me it was more like a loosely blended salad. Gazpacho is really a cold soup and it should be a little moist and, well, soupy.

My mom didn't teach me to make gazpacho, but one time when she was visiting me and Alan when we were living in the married student housing at Rutgers I made this dish. Both she and Alan (and I) loved it.

I have tasted a lot of gazpacho in the last 43 years, and I still like the version I make the best. And it's definitely a summer dish -- unless your on a cruise. I've never been on a cruise where gazpacho isn't offered as a soup course.

What you need:

6 nice-sized FRESH PICKED tomatoes. The choice of farm fresh tomatoes is important for a well-flavored gazpacho.
1 cucumber -- seeds removed, then finely chopped
1 yellow pepper -- finely chopped
1 stalk celery -- finely chopped
1 clove garlic -- finely chopped
2 scallions -- finely chopped
6 finely chopped black olives

All the finely chopped veggies shouldn't be mushy, just nicely chopped into small pieces.

Cut the tomatoes into large sized chunks, getting rid of the stem piece. Then put these cut up pieces into either a blender or food processor. Blend until the tomatoes are liquid. Strain through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Then add the veggies. Add as much of each veggie that you think you will like. Just remember this is a soup and should be soupy. Remember to season (add salt and pepper) to taste. I would do this to the tomato soup portion before adding the vegetables.

If you wish you can put the strained tomato juice back into the blender and add the chopped vegetables and pulse or blend for about five seconds. This will chop the vegetables further and blend the flavors more.

Put this into an air-tight container and put in refrigerator to "marinate" overnight. It will be really good the next day, and good and cold, which is how it should be eaten. I serve it with toasted garlic bread.

It makes a nice lunch.

ttfn