Weekend Kitchen | Easy Tomato Gazpacho

I’m so excited that tomato season has begun. Our CSA has been delivering some honkin’ size heirloom tomatoes. Even some pretty cool cherry tomatoes. And I’m content to just have them sit out on the counter because I love looking at their weird red/purple/yellow hues.

But, alas, they must be eaten. (Is there anything better than a tomato sandwich with lots of mayo?)

Mark would say yes, gazpacho is better!

He and I differ here because cold soup generally turns me off. But I loved this strawberry soup. And I’m an even bigger fan of foods that require nothing more than hitting the puree button. This is where this easy tomato gazpacho comes in.

Simple Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Recipe from Real Simple

What you’ll need:

• 2 pounds tomatoes (heirlooms if you can get them), roughly chopped
• 1 red bell peper, roughly chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cucumber, 1/2 roughly chopped, 1/2 finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• Bread, for dipping

What to do:

1. Dump tomato, pepper, onion, cucumber and garlic in the food processor, and puree away. Work in batches if your blender or processor is small.

2. Transfer to large bowl and add in oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

3. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 1 day.

4. Top gazpacho with chopped cilantro and cucumber. Drizzle with a bit more oil if you want (I did not). Serve with bread.