Gazpacho
This chilled soup is refreshing and full of flavor, perfect for hot summer days. Be sure to use the best tomatoes you can find; your local farmer’s market is a great place to get flavorful tomatoes.
Ingredients:
About 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Anaheim or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
½ of 1 English cucumber, cut roughly into chunks
1 small onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
2 slices good bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling
For garnish: Sliced cherry tomatoes, cojita cheese, chopped cucumber (optional)
Method:
Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, bread and garlic in a food processor. Blend until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to puree the ingredients in 2 batches.
Turn the machine on and add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube of the machine. The mixture will become smooth and emulsified and will turn anywhere from dark orange, to red, to pink, depending on the variety of tomatoes you use. If the soup seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.
Chill until very cold, 6 hours or overnight.
Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If desired, garnish the gazpacho with additional toppings including cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, cojita cheese and olive oil.