Barefoot Blogger's Gazpacho

I've never had Gazpacho before so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this recipe. Honestly, I hate to say it, but I didn't love this one. My husband liked it but said he would want it in a smaller appetizer type serving if we had it again. . Me on the other hand, I really wasn't loving the cold soup or the texture. The flavors were fine and I can't really say it didn't taste good. It was also really easy to make. I wish I had halved the recipe because this one makes a lot. I'm contemplating add some jalapeno and cilantro and processing it in the food processor to turn it into salsa. Probably not what Ina was contemplating! Thanks to Meryl at My Bit of Earth for picking this one. It was definitely one I wouldn't have tried on my own and seemed a perfect summer pick with the ingredients and simplicity. Don't forget to check and see what the other Barefoot Blogger's thought of this one.

Gazpacho

nocoupons

• 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, 1999.