One of the things I love most about summer in South Jersey (hint, it’s NOT the weather!) is all the great Jersey Fresh produce!
Oh man, there’s nothing better than biting into a Jersey tomato right off the vine! Or a cool, refreshing cucumber salad – mmm! And that oh so sweet Jersey corn? Not to mention all the delicious fruit!
Sometimes I get a little carried away with my shopping…a quick and easy way to use up some of those great veggies is a Gazpacho – a cold tomato soup. Many of my catering clients have enjoyed it in “shooters” as an appetizer at their events.
If I have some strawberries handy, they can go in too for a sweeter take on this tasty soup (I switch out the red wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar, tomato juice with vegetable broth, add about a teaspoon of thyme and garnish with chopped chives and strawberries). Either way, I like to sop it up with some crusty bread – heaven!
Gazpacho
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Soup:
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1 Large Cucumber, diced
5 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Zucchini, diced
2 stalks Celery, diced
1 dash Salt to taste
1 Quart Tomato Juice
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
6 dashes Tabasco
1 dash Black Pepper to taste
For garnish:
Roasted chopped asparagus, zucchini and corn
Directions
- In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine all ingredients except tomato juice. (You could also use a hand blender.)
- Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.
- Pour into a large bowl and add the tomato juice. Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!
- Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with the vegetables. Feel free to add some fresh avocado, cream, and/or cilantro.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Click here for a printable copy of the Gazpacho Recipe
Recipe based on: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/gazpacho/
https://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/strawberry-gazpacho-recipe
