My Dad found this recipe in the Des Moines Register newspaper, and with an abundance of garden veggies, we decided to give it a whirl. Everything in the recipe came from the garden, with the exception of the hot sauce and balsamic vinegar. The garlic I planted didn’t produce, but I’d picked up some really gorgeous organic garlic at the local farmer’s market, so technically it was produced within a few miles of my kitchen 🙂

You can easily adjust the amount up or down depending on how many mouths you have to feed and how many bowls you each will eat. It’s a great cold soup to eat on a warm summer’s day, and it’s a great way to use up produce if you have just a few of this and that in the garden.

Gazpacho

1-1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 red bell peppers (or use whatever peppers you have), stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 small cucumbers (or 1 large one), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 small sweet onion, or 2 large shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/3 cup good balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

5 cups tomato juice (I used homemade)

8 ice cubes

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Extra-virgin olive oil (for serving)

Combine tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onion, and garlic in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Season with black pepper to taste. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until veggies release their juice. Add the vinegar, tomato juice, ice cubes, and hot sauce if using. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Discard any unmelted ice cubes, and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, drizzling individual portions with olive oil. Garnish with extra veggies, croutons, chopped pitted olives, or finely diced avocados if you like.

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