A few months back, we went to dinner with some friends at their families local restaurant and I tried gazpacho for the first time. Totally blew my mind. It was cold, crispy, tomato & cucumber-y – I completely fell in love and needed to have it again. My preggo cravings were in full effect and all I wanted was gazpacho ever since. Well, I went out to dinner last week to a Spanish restaurant and of course had to try their version, but it just didn’t do the job like the first one. My husband told me I’m like a drug addict, trying to get a fix with gazpacho. Hell, if you tried their gazpacho, you’d be feigning it too and wanting it hooked up to your veins IV style.
So, I attempted making my own. I prayed to the gazpacho gods that it would turn out like my first time eating it, and it was pretty damn close.
Easy Gazpacho
yields 4 servings
- 4 medium sized Tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 2 small bulbs of Shallots
- Half Red Pepper or 2 mini Sweet Peppers
- 1 English Cucumber, peeled
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 can V8 Juice
- Dash of Hot Sauce
- Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
To peel the tomatoes, boil a pot of water and get a bowl of ice water ready while that is boiling. Score the tops of the tomatoes and gently place the them in the boiling water for about 10-15 seconds. Immediately put them in the ice bath and you will be able to peel them in seconds! Quarter the tomatoes remove the seeds. Throw them in a blender.
Peel the cucumber and remove any seeds that are in there. Cut into chunks and throw them in to the blender with the tomatoes. Add the shallots, V8, red wine vinegar, peppers, splash of olive oil, dash of hot sauce, salt & pepper to the blender. Puree it till all the veggies are minced. Take a taste and adjust the salt, pepper and hot sauce to your desired tastings.
Place gazpacho in the refrigerator, the colder the better! Garnish with some pieces of cilantro and cucumbers.
There you have it! Easy, fresh, homemade gazpacho that is perfect for a hot day!
Have a great weekend peeps!
– Amanda
