Summer Gazpacho

The very best part of summer, culinarily speaking, is tomatoes. Fresh in-season tomatoes taste a zillion times better than the junk you get in the grocery store mid-winter. My favorite way to eat them right now is in the form of gazpacho - that cold tomato soup that tastes like sunshine in a bowl. My recipe is made up, just things dumped together with no real measurements. Each time I make it the ingredients are different depending what I have in the kitchen - I might use scallions or add red bell pepper or red onion. It's fun to enjoy the different tastes each time.

Summer Gazpacho

Updated August 4, 2012:  I love this recipe and make it a lot every summer.  This recipe is super easy to whip up in a food processor or blender.  Sometimes I even use cherry or grape tomatoes because it's even sweeter.  And I've added the red wine vinegar to the ingredient list - it adds a lot to the final flavor.

4 large in-season tomatoes, diced (I used a combo of local regular red, yellow, and heirloom tomatoes)

1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

1 medium shallot, diced very finely

1 clove garlic, minced finely or grated on a microplane

Juice of 1/2 lemon

6 large fresh basil leaves, minced

Small bunch of chives, minced

1 teaspoon hot sauce
1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all this together - and, if you want to go no further, you have a great bruchetta topping or fresh sauce for pasta or pizza or grilled fish. But, if you dare, you can add vegetable juice to turn it into gazpacho. I like Bolthouse Farms brand Vedge juice. I added just enough to have a good soup consistency.

Served alongside hunks of crusty baguette and local sharp cheddar cheese and this is a summertime lunch to be thankful for.