G is for……cold soup
Most people are turned off by the very thought of cold soup. Bleh! Are we just too lazy to cook food properly anymore? Hardly! Some soups are meant to be eaten chilled; in fact they would taste pretty weird if they were hot. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of soup is, “a liquid food especially with a meat, fish, or vegetable stock as a base and often containing solid pieces of food.” No where in this description does it mention the use of cooking or heat in order to define a food item as a soup. Many soups can be enjoyed cold, like fruit soups, vichyssoise (a creamy potato-leek soup), and gazpacho…..which brings us to today’s topic containing the letter G.
Gazpacho is one of those classic cold soups with which most people are familiar. This traditional Spanish soup is a garden of fresh vegetables diced and marinated in a tomato juice or broth. Chock full of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery, gazpacho is often brightened with a hint of vinegar and a showering of fresh herbs, like basil and parsley. To combat the acidity of the tomato juice and vinegar, a healthy blessing of the finest extra virgin olive oil does the trick, rounding out all of the flavors with a subtle richness. I love eating my gazpacho topped with diced avocado, served with a side of crunchy tortilla chips or a hunk of hearty whole-grain bread to sop up all the juices.
Summer is the perfect time to make and eat gazpacho! Whether you enjoy it out at a restaurant prepared in the chef’s special way or make it at home using fresh vegetables and herbs from your garden, gazpacho is a refreshing and flavorful way to enjoy the summer harvest.
This is my recipe for homemade gazpacho, vegetables courtesy of my Aunt Lisa’s garden:
Gazpacho
INGREDIENTS
- 8 medium beefsteak or vine-ripened tomatoes
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- 1 large cucumber
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp. freshly chopped chives
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 container of low-sodium vegetable juice, such as V8
- 1 avocado, diced for garnish
- fresh lemon or lime juice, for garnish
- DIRECTIONS
- Wash and pat dry all the produce. In a large pot, boil enough water to submerge the tomatoes (about 8 cups). Once the water is boiled, using a knife, score the tomatoes with an “X” on the side opposite the stem. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 3-5 minutes, or until the skin starts to peel away from the flesh. Using a spider, remove the tomatoes from the water and set aside to cool. While the tomatoes cool, prepare the remainder of the vegetables. Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds by hollowing out the center with a spoon. Dice the cucumber into a small dice and place in a large bowl. Next, dice the bell pepper, first removing the seeds and ribs. Add the bell pepper into the bowl with the cucumber. Cut the celery into a fine dice as well and place into the bowl with the pepper and cucumber. Once the tomatoes have cooled, remove the skin. (The skin should come off very easily.) Dice the tomatoes reserving as much natural juice as possible and toss into the bowl of vegetables. Next, add the red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. Stir with a large spoon. Pour in the vegetable juice and add the fresh parsley and chives. Stir once again. Allow to marinate for at least 5 hours. Adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with dices of fresh avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice.
- NOTEs
- Serve with grilled, whole grain bread rubbed with fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil.