Gazpacho!

Spanish Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho

We made this recipe in our After School Program in the Cooking Club. The kids weren't too excited about it, but then again I remember not being too excited about gazpacho when I first heard about it in high school Spanish class. That just meant more left overs for David and me! Here is some of our soup in a plastic bag (I know you'll love my professional presentation here :)

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/432

Serves 4 to 6

Gazpacho is a chilled Spanish soup that is best made in late summer when tomatoes are at their juiciest. Our version is creamy and bright red-orange. Serve ice cold.

Ingredients: x3

2 to 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped--7 pounds tomatoes
4 to 6 cloves garlic--15 cloves garlic=1 head
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped--3 cucumbers
1 mild green chile pepper, seeded and roughly chopped--3 mild green chile peppers
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped--3 red bell peppers
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped--3 yellow onions
3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar--9 T red wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil--1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Method
Put tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, chiles, red bell peppers, and onions into a large bowl and toss to combine. Working in batches, puree vegetables in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding a little water if mixture seems too thick. Strain puree through a medium sieve, discarding peels and seeds.

Place half of the strained puree back into the food processor, add vinegar, and puree again. With food processor still running, drizzle in the oil. (This will turn the soup slightly orange.) Return to bowl with remaining puree, stir well and season with salt. Cover and chill thoroughly, then ladle into bowls and serve topped with bread.