Summer Gazpacho

Summer is here and the panther is in the mood for something with a Latin flavor...
One of the most refreshing summer dishes is Gazpacho.  Gazpacho is a cold, tomato-based soup seasoned with citrus and garlic.  We found a great recipe from the cookbook, Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban.  The "three guys" are Jorge, Glenn, and Raul, and if you are familiar with their books, you know that they not only have amazing, easy to follow, delicious recipes, but they are also full of hilarious rhetoric and informative tips and fun facts.

                     Here is their recipe for "Gazpacho de Glenn y Jorge"

2 medium onions

1 green pepper, seeded

1 red pepper, seeded

2 medium cucumbers, peeled

5 cloves garlic

5 large ripe red tomatoes

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 loaf of Cuban or French bread

2 tablespoons vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste

For Garnish...

green pepper, seeded and diced

red pepper, seeded and diced

cucumber seeded (optional) and diced

red onion, diced

green and/or black olives

ripe avocado, cubed

fresh cilantro, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers

1 tablespoon lime juice

pinch of salt

1-2 drops water

Cut all the vegetables in small chunks. 

If you want to be fancy or just can't stand little pieces of tomato skin, by all means peel your tomatoes!  We haven't decided if we're basically lazy or just need the fiber, but we never peel our tomatoes for gazpacho.  (We guess that's why we're just three regular guys from Miami!)  You can also seed your cucumbers if you suffer from some sort of seed phobia.

Process all the vegetables in a blender in small batches with tomato juice and olive oil until you have a thick puree.  (Include tomato juice and tomatoes with every batch to provide plenty of liquid.)  For the last batch, soak bread in warm water and wring out excess water; add the bread and process thoroughly.  Add the vinegar and lime juice.  Season the puree with the salt, pepper, and cumin.  Adjust to taste.  Blend thoroughly in the blender.  Chill in refrigerator until very cold.

Just before serving, garnish with chilled diced red and green peppers, cucumber, onion, olives, avocado and some chopped cilantro.

For an added kick, puree the jalapenos, lime juice, salt, and water; add sparingly to each bowl just before serving, or serve at the table.

Gazpacho is cool, refreshing, zesty, and delicious!

The Three Guys from Miami

Pick up the book at Bellagio Interiors and try out this, as well as the other fabulous recipes.

Here's to just the beginning of summer recipes!

-The Panther