CHILLED GAZPACHO WITH SOUR CREAM AND CROUTONS

[joyofspin]

It's starting to get warm so here's one of my favorite summer soups

Ingredients:
2 ½ Cups Tomato (chopped)
1/3 Cup Cucumber (skinless and seedless)
1/3 Cup Onion (small diced)
1 Cup Red Bell Pepper (seedless, skinless, and diced)
1 Cup White Bread (large diced, ends removed)
6 tbs. Olive Oil
4 tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
Salt to Taste
White Pepper (fresh ground)
Sugar to Taste

Garnish:
4 tbs. Cucumbers (minced)
4 tbs. Tomato (minced)
4 tbs. Red Bell Pepper (minced)
4 tbs. Croutons
4 tbs. Sour Cream
4 tbs. Cilantro (optional)

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic film wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight (ideally for approximately 24 hours.)
2. Next day, place the mixture into an electric blender. Blend at a high speed until ultra smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Strain. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. (This removes the excess tart flavor.)
3. Place the soup into four chilled bowls or cups, fill halfway. Then add the garnish, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, crouton, sour cream, and cilantro.

Yield: 4 Servings

[Pink]

Joy, Gazpacho is a summer staple here. I've always got a vat of it in the frig. Yum Yum Yum.

[joyofspin]

Pink this one is a lot of chopping but so worth the effort.

[Pink]

Joy, have you ever made it via a food processor?

[jsejt]

I've never liked Gazpacho, but this one looks like I could come out of my "no gazpacho" boycott. :wink:

[joyofspin]

Yes but only after the stuff sits overnight. It is a perfect soup. Just enough to hit the spot. I do all the chopping by hand and I usually double the batch. It's gone way too soon.

[Pink]

Joy, I'm going to give your's a try. I've never used bread, that's interesting.

Here's my usual: I don't really measure ingredients. I just keep adding, and before you know it, I've a cauldron full. Here's what I do (again, I apologize for not having amounts)

Through the years, I've used different things for the base, my current favorite is a mixture of Trader Joe's Garden Patch & Mrs. T's Mix (not sure of it's exact name. you buy it in the regular market, where they have drink mixers. it's used for Bloody Marys).

Peel & seed cucumbers -- puree in processor.
Onion -- puree in processor
Red or yellow pepper -- puree in processor

Add the pureed veggies to tomato base.

Spice with Tabasco or some kind of hot sauce.

Dice more peeled/seeded cuccumbers and yellow pepper (yellow for color) (small dice) & seeded fresh tomatoes.

Thinly slice some scallion.

Add pressed garlic.

Add the juice of a lime (and I grate the peel--just the green part, not white)

Add some vinegar.

Add minced cilantro & Italian Parsley (flat leaf -- not curly leaf which is bitter).

Stir together and let sit so flavors will blend.

If you don't mind a few calories, add a little olive oil.

Sorry, I've no set recipe. I just dice & dump. Go by taste.