gazpacho

I have to confess something.  I despise tomatoes.  I know, it’s outrageous, but I do.  I have tried for all 37 years of my life to like them…and I just can’t.  The texture, the squishiness, the seeds….nope…I just can’t get myself to like them.  I appreciate their color, their sweetness, what they bring to a sandwich or a salad, but I just can’t get them down without a nasty look on my face and forcing myself to swallow.  I’m an anomaly, I know.

I, however, do like all things that involve tomatoes as long as the texture quality is removed.  Like gazpacho.  So much so that my mom and I ate our way through Spain on gazpacho and enslada mixta (with no tomatoes please!)  and a pitcher of sangria.  Not a bad way to see a country.

So I made this pitcher of gazpacho with our trip to Spain in mind.  Smooth, cold, and refreshing gazpacho for our first party on the patio this year.  Aside from having to peel the tomatoes (where I get that same nasty look on my face) this recipe is a breeze and can be made ahead which is always a bonus in my opinion!

what you need:

3 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 slices of white bread, without crusts, chopped

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green pepper, chopped

6 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt to taste

to garnish: chopped green pepper, red onion, cucumber and croutons

what to do:

to peel the tomatoes, the easiest thing to do is to boil water, then turn it off.  The put the tomatoes in there for 1 minute.  When you take them out the skins should just slide right off.

soak the bread on a few tablespoons of water, then wring out the water to squeeze the bread dry

place the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions and garlic in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Once smooth, add olive oil, vinegar and salt (to taste)

Store in a pitcher or bowl for at least 1 hour, up to 48 hours

Serve and enjoy.