The garden is ripe with vegetables – time to make gazpacho. Served cold, it is perfect for these hot summer nights. Bursting with a rich assortment of flavors and quite simple to throw together, this soup is one of my favorites!
#freshisbest #machogazpacho #summertimesoup
Spicy Gazpacho
4 medium-large fresh tomatoes, roasted
4 medium-large fresh tomatoes, diced
½ cucumber, seeded, peeled and finely diced
1 hot chile pepper, roasted
½ medium yellow onion, roasted
1 jalapeno, roasted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (mix of oregano, basil, marjoram, savory, thyme, etc.)
½ teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon basil (use fresh if you have it – 6 leaves chopped finely)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ lime, juiced
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
Place 4 tomatoes, the onion, chile pepper, jalapeno, and garlic on a roasting pan/baking dish coated with aluminum foil. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes. Remove from broiler and flip the vegetables over. (You can also roast the vegetables on the grill.) Place back under the broiler for another 3-5 minutes just until blackened. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the skins from the garlic and onion. Scrape the blackened skin off of the chile and jalapeno. You can leave or remove the skin from the tomatoes. Chop all items coarsely. Place all items in a food processor and process for a minute. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice and process for another few minutes.
Combine the diced tomatoes and cucumber in a large bowl. Add the salt and spices and mix well. Pour the contents of the food processor into the tomato-cucumber-spice mix. Mix well. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to enhance the flavor. Ladle into bowls. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Makes 4-6 servings.