Gazpacho

I love to make gazpacho when the summer weather turns HOT and the fresh vegetables begin to ripen in the fields. This is a very flexible recipe so look in the fridge and use a combination of these ingredients. I like my gazpacho to be chunky and spicy, but never pureed. I rough chop each of the vegetables and then chop them separately in the food processor. We had this dish last weekend for a light dinner, with mussels. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge for weekend guests!

INGREDIENTS
2 hot house cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2-3 red or yellow bell peppers, cored and seeded
4-6 ripe tomatoes
2 medium, or 1 huge red onion ( I also love to use Vidalia)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
46 OUNCES of tomato juice ( 6 cups)
1/4- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TABLESPOON kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Roughly chop the cucumbers, bells peppers, tomatoes, and 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 (2-3 hits on the pulse button should do it). Do NOT overprocess!
• 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 let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes
• Chill before serving

NOTE: The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop

YIELD: 8-10 servings