Gazpacho

Mmm...gazpacho. Gazpacho has to be my absolute favorite way to use cucumber (I don't like cucumbers...). Only Curtis and I like it, which is fine. I usually eat it for lunches for a week while the kids eat their PB & J sandwiches (and cucumbers and cherries, as M did today). It's light and refreshing for these hot Texas days.

A few recipe notes--you can make this as thin or thick as you like. I puree half the cucumber, bell pepper and parsley. If you want a chunkier soup, don't puree. If you want a thin soup, puree the whole thing. This time I also added one of the thin yellow peppers I've been getting from our CSA--it added a little extra flavor. This is a recipe to experiment with. Make it several times until you come up with exactly what you are looking for. Regarding the color of the soup (in the picture)--I used canned tomato juice which I made out of a combination of red and yellow tomatoes last year so the juice wasn't as bright red as sometimes. Puree the vegetables also makes the soup less red--for a redder soup, don't puree anything. I would also suggest adding the honey last. My gazpacho was a little sweet this time because of how naturally sweet the tomato juice. Only add the honey if it needs a little extra sweetness.

Gazpacho
adapted from a recipe from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks

4 c tomato juice
1/2 c onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium bell pepper, minced
1 t honey (opt)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced
2 scallions, minced
1/2 - 1 lemon, juiced (to taste)
1 lime, juiced
1 t tarragon
1 t dried basil (1 T fresh)
1/2 t cumin
1/4 c fresh parsley, minced
2 T olive oil
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 c fresh tomatoes, diced

Combine tomato juice, onion, garlic, 1/2 of bell pepper, honey, lemon juice, lime juice, tarragon, basil, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Puree in blender or food processor. Add 1/2 of cucumber, 1/2 of scallions, and 1/2 of parsley to pureed mixture. Puree (for a chunky soup, just add all of remaining ingredients and serve---skip the second puree). Add all the remaining ingredients. Chill and serve cold.