Gazpacho - Fresh Garden Soup

This is a great way to use the summer surplus. This recipe comes to me from my friend Julie.

"Here is my recipe. I added in fresh basil and sundried tomatoes."

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound tomatoes (about 2 or 3 medium), divided use

1 cup chopped sweet onions, divided use

1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped, divided use

1 medium bell pepper, seeds removed, divided use

5 ounces roasted, peeled red peppers (jarred is fine), divided use

1 (14-ounce) can tomato juice

1 clove garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 or 3 slices of bread, cubed

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped chives

Preparation:

Place half of each of the tomatoes, sweet onions, cucumber, bell pepper, and roasted red peppers into a food processor or heavy-duty blender. Add 1 cup of the tomato juice and puree until smooth.

Pour puree into a large mixing bowl and mix in the remaining tomato juice. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Place serving bowls in the refrigerator to chill.

Rub the clove of garlic around the interior of a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then add the bread crumbs and saute until golden brown. Set bread cubes aside.

Chop remaining vegetables to a uniform 1/4-inch dice. Place in a small mixing bowl along with balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Let marinate at room temperature up to 1 hour, then mix into the refrigerated puree.

To serve, ladle gazpacho soup into chilled bowls and garnish with chopped chives and toasted bread cubes.

Yield: 8 servings