Tomato-Cucumber Gazpacho

I know I’ve said this before, but the June 2009 issue of Bon Appétit has some really good summer entertaining ideas. I’ve already tried the sangria recipe with rave reviews, so I decided to try the gazpacho recipe. I used the beautiful tomatoes I found at the farmer’s market as my inspiration. The tomatoes were beautifully ripe and juicy, and I couldn’t wait to try the gazpacho.

My first issue with the recipe was the soup needed to chill at least 4 hours or overnight before moving on to the next step. Okay, I could make it the night before, but every time I tried, something else would come up, and I wouldn’t get the chance to complete the first step. I finally started the soup yesterday. I was home most of the day, so the soup’s 4-hour layover in the fridge wasn’t a problem. But, once the soup had been in the refrigerator for 4 hours, I had to put in the remaining chopped onion and cucumber 2 hours before serving the soup (sounds like a word problem to me, yikes!). And, since I was home, this was not insurmountable, but it makes this soup difficult to serve in a hurry.

The gazpacho was very refreshing and tasty, but I realized after all of this work, I don’t really like gazpacho. I’m sure I’ve had it in the past, but it has been so long I had forgotten. My family didn’t like it either. Les, of course, didn’t complain, and it tasted enough like cucumber my son ate some of it, but my daughter put into words why I don’t like gazpacho. She said that it was like drinking salsa. She was right. I love salsa, but I think my love has as much to do with tortilla chips, as with the salsa itself.

If you like gazpacho, then I think you will like this recipe. But, next time, I'm going to make Elva’s salsa with the beautiful tomatoes from the farmer’s market.

Tomato-Cucumber Gazpacho
From Bon Appétit
5 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (about 6 medium)
3 cups tomato-based vegetable juice
2 ¼ cps chopped English hothouse cucumber, divided
1 cup chopped red onion, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 small garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons anchovy paste

Working in batches, puree chopped tomatoes vegetable juice, 1 ¼ cups chopped cucumber, ½ cup chopped red onion, extra –virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped basil, red wine vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic and anchovy paste in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 2 hours before you are going to serve the soup, stir in the remaining chopped cucumber and red onion. Check seasoning, and serve topping with more basil and croutons. Serves 6.