Top | Soups

Fast Gazpacho

(recipe, Caroline Cummins)

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Introduction

While other gazpachos may be prettier — no bits of tomato skin, no crunchy tomato seeds — this version is just as delicious, and much quicker to assemble. It's also a great way to use up late summer's overflowing garden bounty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.

Ingredients

1. 4 lb. tomatoes, chopped (any kind is fine, but try to have a mix, from heirloom to cherry)
2. 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3. 1 sweet pepper (such as bell or Jimmy Nardello), seeded and chopped
4. 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, or 2 tsp. dried chile flakes (optional)
5. 3 garlic cloves, chopped
6. 1 cup chopped onion (red, white, or yellow onion; about ½ medium onion)
7. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8. ¼ cup sherry or red-wine vinegar
9. 2 tsp. salt
10. 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
11. ½ to 1 cup water, depending on how watery your tomatoes are and how thin you want the soup to be
12. Chopped cilantro and/or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Steps

1. Place all the ingredients except the herbs in a large bowl and stir together. Working in batches of about 2 cups at a time, transfer the watery ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour the puréed soup into a large storage container. Repeat until all the ingredients are puréed and stirred together in the storage container. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for an hour or so and serve chilled.