The weather in Atlanta has been hotter in September than in any of our summer months, which has prolonged the desire for summer salads, cool drinks and grilled meats. Normally, we’d be switching over to fall foods, decor and clothing but with days filled with 90+-degree temperatures, we’re still able to swim and shoot the ‘Hooch!
Another thing we’re enjoying with the hot days is a cold soup, specifically my gazpacho. I first tried gazpacho in Spain, which is where this cold vegetable soup originated. I was 15 at the time and didn’t care much for it, but my tastes developed over time and now I love it – so I’m going to share my recipe with you.
I don’t necessarily make gazpacho in the traditional way. Gazpacho calls for a chunkier soup in general and often includes bread-like croutons. While I use many of the same ingredients except for the croutons, I like my gazpacho to be smooth.
The soup is easy to make – it’s all prep work since none of it is cooked. It takes a bit of time to cut all the vegetables but once it’s done it’s well worth it as the result is delicious and healthy.
Start by chopping the red pepper, cucumber and onions, and peeling and seeding the tomatoes (if not using canned ones)
Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches if it doesn’t all fit.
Pour the gazpacho into a large pot or container for storage and/or serving.
- 4-5 ripe tomatoes, seeded and peeled (can use 28 ounce can of tomatoes)
- 28 ounces of tomato puree
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- Juice of two lemons
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Frank's red hot or other hot sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth
- *You may need to blend in batches if everything doesn't fit at once
- Store soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve - let the soup sit for at least 4 hours before serving to give time for the flavors to come together. Make the night before if possible for best results.
- Recipe can be doubled to serve large parties or be frozen
