Gazpacho

This seems to be the week of making dishes that I have always wanted to try.  Gazpacho is something that I definitely did not want to eat as a kid and never thought I would want to eat it later.  We age.  We want to eat healthier and it is hot outside.  So what exactly is Gazpacho.  I looked up the origin.  Gazpacho is a tomato based soup from the Southern Spanish region of Andalucia.  Said more simply, it is a cold vegetable and healthy soup.

Ingredients (adapted from Ina Garten):
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes.

Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over process!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.  Enjoy!