Gazpacho
Recipe courtesy of BostonSidewalks.com
Ingredients
  • 2 to 2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1-2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1-2 green peppers (either cubanelle or green bell), seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 white or red onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 3-5 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 4-8 T olive oil, or as needed
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
  • 2 t salt, or to taste
For the Garnishes
  • fresh wedges of lime to be squeezed into the soup
  • diced red onion, lightly soaked in salted water for 15 to 30 minutes
  • chopped cilantro or parsley
  • sour cream or creme fraiche
  • a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • coarse ground sea salt
Instructions
1.  In a blender or food processor, puree tomatoes, cucumber, cubanelle pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, celery, parsley and 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it is broken down. If needed, work in batches.
2.  Add more olive oil very slowly while processing until the desired consistency is reached. Making sure it fully emulsifies before adding more.
3.  In a bowl combine processed vegetables with the vinegar and salt. Taste for seasonings. And personally I like to under salt it a little at this point because I like to add a nice crunchy sea salt when serving.
4.  Let it set on the counter for at least 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
5.  Thoroughly chill in the refrigerator before serving, at least 6 hours. I think this is actually much better served the next day after it has spent the night in the refrigerator. And if you are going to do that, go ahead and throw the serving bowls in the refrigerator as well so they can get nice and cold.
Summary
Serve this on a nice hot summer evening with any or all of the garnishes. And be sure to serve it with a nice cold white wine if that is to your taste. Enjoy!