A great recipe to use up those tomatoes (cucumbers, too!)

[OnionPatch]

I made a big batch of gazpacho yesterday for some guests. In case you are unfamiliar with gazpacho, it is a very refreshing and delicious cold soup. Of course it is about 100 times better when you use good, homegrown tomatoes instead of the grocery store kind. With it I served warm, crusty bread, grilled chicken kabobs and tzatziki, (which uses up lots of your extra cucumbers as well.) It was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it.

Here's the recipe I used. Happy tomato season!! :)

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups tomato juice
A few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend to desired consistency. Place in non-metal container, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Serve cold.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. I guessed that you would be suggesting gazpacho..

it's how I use up my tomato/cuke/pepper bounty too. My recipe's a bit different so I'll post it here and give folks a choice:

Mix together:
5 medium large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium size cukes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 medium large red or white onion, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper (any color) seeded, deribbed, and chopped.
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped.
4 cups day old Italian or French bread, crust removed and cubed.
4 cups cold water
4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt to taste (start with 1 teaspoon)

Blend the above mix in batchs of 2-3 cups at a time in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Remove mixture to a glass or plastic bowl and mix in:
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste.

Cover bowl and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

At the table, offer garnishes: chopped and seeded cukes, diced onion, diced bell pepper,and minced serrano chiles.

[OnionPatch]

2. I like that it has bread cubes

I'm curious about how the bread cubes make it taste. I found a few recipes with bread cubes but went with the one I posted. I'm going to try your recipe next time. I had gazpacho years ago and had forgotten how good it was. Several of my guests had never tried it before but loved it. The only problem we had was that the raw onion and garlic in it gave us a little heartburn.....or maybe it was all those margaritas. ;)

[Gormy Cuss]

3. My recipe came from a friend who lived in Spain

and she said it was as she remembered the taste of gazpachos there. Me, I don't know what they SHOULD taste like. I've made recipes with tomato juice and liked those versions too, but I don't usually have it in the pantry whereas I almost always have bread cubes in the freezer.

p.s. letting the onions and garlic sit in hot water for about 5 minutes cuts the sharpness without cooking them -- might help with the heartburn.

[OnionPatch]

4. Well, I should admit

that I added the basil and rosemary. I know it probably shouldn't have gone in if I had wanted it to taste authentic but I have all these fresh herbs growing right outside and I can't resist putting some in everything. :blush: But hey, isn't that the crux of American cooking, anyway? .... Take a recipe from another country, then butcher it with ad-libs and substitutions. ;)