Summer Gazpacho
A smooth, blended gazpacho built around ripe heirloom tomatoes — better than any version made with store-bought tomato juice.
I learned to love gazpacho working summers at the Warren Store in the Deli. Before that, cold soup was completely unknown to me. We'd make it 5 gallons at a time — chunky, hand cut — and it would go fast.
My family has different ideas. My wife tolerates chunky, but my daughter vetoed it entirely a couple of years ago. Stick blender to the rescue.
That also means prep time is much shorter, since you can blend big chunks. And instead of 4 cups of store-bought tomato juice, I dice up another 2 lbs of heirlooms. The result is so much better.
This is a modified version of Moosewood Cookbook's Gazpacho.
Directions
- Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper into rough chunks — no need to be precise if you're blending.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to mix.
- Blend with a stick blender until smooth, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender.
- Taste and adjust salt, vinegar, or honey as needed.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve cold, topped with chopped fresh parsley.
Using a lot of German Striped tomatoes pushes the color more orange than red — but it tastes incredible.