The Consummate Hostess

It's not a secret, I love The Barefoot Contessa. As you can see from earlier posts, I often use TBC recipes and am delighted that the final product is always as good as Ina predicted. One of my favorite summer dishes is gazpacho and Ina's recipe is the very best. Try it, I know that you will love it too!

Gazpacho
2 hothouse cucumbers, halved and seeded but not peeled
3 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
8 plum tomatoes
2 red onions
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 - 2 chopped Serrano peppers (my personal addition to the recipe)
46 ounces tomato juice (6 cups)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumber, 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 overprocess! Between you and me, I don't do this step and instead chop the vegetables into small pieces. I like my gazpacho to be chunky!

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 the gazpacho sits, the more flavors will develop. I like to allow the gazpacho to sit overnight in the refrigerator, this allows the flavors to fully blend and develop.

For garnish: This is where I really go crazy. I top mine with avocado slices, a dab of sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

*Image from mealtime.org