Gazpacho

Member Cara MacAteer has another great recipe to share - the epitome of summer!

GAZPACHO

I had made it most of the way through this unusual summer before I realized that I still had not made gazpacho despite all the hot, humid days where I wanted meals that don't require turning on an oven or stove. Then on August 13, I picked up my share to find that it had everything I needed except for the vinegar, oil, and salt, which I had in my pantry already. I sometimes have trouble finding a cubanelle pepper but my share included a beautiful one. I chopped up Farmer Ted's tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, and garlic and tossed them into a Vitamix with some salt and olive oil and vinegar and had delicious gazpacho in no time.

Here is the recipe I use: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017577-best-gazpacho

INGREDIENTS:

About 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling

PREPARATION

Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.

Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bowl. A few drops of olive oil on top are a nice touch.