Gazpacho

This recipe is perfect for hot summer days. The first time I ever tried it was my grandma's recipe, so it was the absolute best, but this recipe (adapted from "1000 Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World") is pretty darn good, too. It's very acidic, so it isn't for the faint of stomach, but it definitely is for you tomato lovers out there, as it calls for three different tomato products. Once again, this version is slightly changed from the original.

You will need the following ingredients:

-1/2 cucumber
-1/2 green pepper
-1lb (450g) ripe tomatoes
-1/2 yellow onion
-2 to 3 cloves crushed garlic
-3Tbsp olive oil
-2Tbsp white vinegar
-1 to 2Tbsp lemon juice (limes will do if you don't have lemons)
-2Tbsp tomato paste
-1-3/4cups tomato juice
-salt and pepper

I want to warn you ahead of time to make this recipe many hours in advance. Even a day in advance wouldn't hurt. It has to chill for a minimum of six hours, so plan ahead (I almost forgot I was going to make this yesterday - we ended up eating pretty late). Also, this recipe requires no actual cooking, ie: with heat. It's totally raw. I am not sure if this qualifies as an official "raw food" in regards to the "raw food movement" that is going on in some circles due to the tomato paste, so I won't label it as such.

Okay, commençons ! Let's get started!

First, you're going to want to grate up your cucumber with a cheese grater on a coarse setting. Then very, very finely chop up the green pepper. Set these two ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Next, chop up your tomatoes and onions. It does not matter how you do this because they are going to go in the blender along with your garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and tomato paste.

It took me one lemon to get the necessary amount of lemon juice. Really, you could probably get away with a half a lemon if you're a really proficient lemon squeezer or if you have a juicer. I do not. This makes me sad.

So, throw all the above mentioned ingredients (pictured right here on the left) into the blender and blend it all up to a purée. Don't be shy. This is a soup, after all. Your purée should look something like this:



Hopefully, you can see that it's pretty smooth, but definitely still textured.

Once your purée has reached this state, add it to the bowl with the cucumber and green pepper and mix well. Add the tomato juice and mix again. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix once more!

Your soup should look like the picture on the right.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least six hours. Remember, there is no cooking (with heat) involved so you'll need to give the soup ample time for the flavours to blend, as well as time to cool. It is a summertime soup and it is just not good served any other way. If you have leftovers, I recommend freezing them and saving them for your next really hot summer day.

I also recommend serving with garlic toast if it isn't too hot to turn on the oven.

This is what your bowl should look like when you're done:
Enjoy!

THIS RECIPE IS:

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Boring version of recipe instructions:

Coarsely grate cucumber and very finely chop green pepper and put in large bowl. Chop tomatoes and onion. Add tomato, onion and garlic to a blender along with oil, vinegar, lemon juice and tomato paste and blend to a purée. Add mixture to the bowl and mix well. Add tomato juice and mix again. Season to taste. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours.