Summer Soup

The weather may be boiling hot but you don’t have to be. Gazpacho is a light, delicious way to help you stay cool this summer.

Background

Gazpacho is a chilled soup made up of raw vegetables in a tomato base. It’s commonly eaten in Spain and Portugal. It was originally made by grinding all the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle and was eaten by laborers working in citrus and olive groves.

While making gazpacho used to be a labor intensive process, now it is extremely easy to make. It can be made with fresh, seasonal vegetables and only requires three tools:                                               

• Chef’s knife                                                     
• Cutting board
• Food processor or blender

Gazpacho doesn't even require any cooking so you don’t have stand over a hot stove or heat up your house with a hot oven.

Spicing things up

Gazpacho is very versatile. You can alter how thick your gazpacho is by adding more or less liquid. Here are some ingredients you can add to your gazpacho to give it more flair:

• Fresh basil
• Lemon juice
•   Hot sauce
•  Cumin
•   Jalapeno
• Balsamic vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce

Gazpacho is a great dish that can be served as an appetizer, side dish or even a dip. . It’s a great dish for a barbeque. It can even be taken on a picnic in a thermos. Gazpacho is a quick and easy dish that can help you beat the heat this summer.

Basic Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 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 olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor or blender and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. 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.

Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com

(http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/gazpacho-recipe.html)

Written by: Nichole Littlefield (USU Dietetics Junior)