Gazpacho

Sometimes I hate the heat.  Don’t get me wrong, I love summer and most things associated with it (the biggest exception being bugs), but there’s something about muggy days that I just can’t stand.  I think the problem is that I’m no good at dealing with random changes in temperature, and sometimes it seems like that’s all summers in New York are.  One day the weather will be sunny with a high of 75 degrees and no humidity and then the next day it’ll be muggy with a high of 93 degrees.

If living in an area that has random weather changes has taught me anything its how to adjust cooking styles to fit the weather, and this is one of the many reasons why I love recipes that require no heat.  They’re perfect for hot days when you can’t even think about cooking over a stove without wanting to pass out.

Over the last few years I’ve gained a big appreciation for gazpacho and how refreshing it can be on a hot day.  It’s crisp and spicy flavor make a simple vegetable dish into something completely delicious, and even though it might be an acquired taste for some it’s so easy to make and perfect on hot summer days.  You can make it chunkier and have the vegetables coarsely chopped, or you can use a food processor to make the vegetables smaller and easier to mix.  Either way, this is a simple and full-bodied dish that can't be beat!

Here’s what you’ll need (adapted from here):

1 ½ cucumbers

2 red bell peppers

4 plum tomatoes

¾ red onion

3 cloves of garlic

3 cups of tomato juice

1 jalapeno

1 green pepper

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp kosher salt

¾ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeno, and onion so that each piece is about ½ inch in size.  One at a time put each vegetable into a food processor and chop them.  Make sure that the pieces end up being about the same size, but you don’t want to overprocess the vegetables and make them into a paste.

After processing each vegetable put it into a large bowl and when all of the vegetables have been processed add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and peppers.  Stir together and let chill before serving.

The longer you let the ingredients mix together the more unified the flavors become!  Next time you’re in the middle of a heatwave and can’t even think about turning your stovetop on to make something for dinner, try this gazpacho.  You won’t regret it!

Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeno, and onion so that each piece is about ½ inch in size.  One at a time put each vegetable into a food processor and chop them.  Make sure that the pieces end up being about the same size, but you don’t want to overprocess the vegetables and make them into a paste.

After processing each vegetable put it into a large bowl and when all of the vegetables have been processed add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and peppers.  Stir together and let chill before serving.

The longer you let the ingredients mix together the more unified the flavors become!