Cold Soup? Yum!

One of my favorite summer dishes has always been my mother's gazpacho. It is so refreshing, and I liked that we could put all the condiments in by ourselves--finally the baby in the family had some control!

Now that I am all grown up (sort of) I really appreciate gazpacho as a super-easy dinner on a super-hot day. If you have a batch of the soup in your fridge, you just come home and pour it out. It's great for a working mom or dad. It is easy enough to make, so your kids can help too.

These days it is hard to find a classic Gazpacho. Most recipes blend all the ingredients together, which can be tasty, but they aren't ever as good as my mom's gazpacho! Her soup is solely tomato-based, and all the other vegetables get chopped up and added in just before you eat.

My niece is visiting, and I was able to share the family recipe with her. Now I will share it with you, too!

Christine's Classic Gazpacho

The key to a great gazpacho is finding tasty tomatoes! We were lucky enough to pick these straight from the vine:



Soup Ingredients:
2 or 3 Tomatoes
Water
1/4 c. Oil
1/4 c. Vinegar
Salt
Garlic, to taste
2 slices bread

Blend equal parts tomato and water. I throw the tomatoes in skin and all. Add in some garlic, 2 or 3 cloves is good. Add the vinegar and oil. I like to use a red wine vinegar and some olive oil, but you can play around with different flavors. Put in 2 slices of bread to add some heft to the soup. And you're done--it's that easy! Put the soup in the refrigerator to chill. The longer you wait, the more flavor comes out, too.

Condiments:(chop up as big or small as you like)
Hard Boiled Egg
Green Pepper
Cucumber
Onion
Croutons


Serve in a big bowl so you can add in lots of stuff. I like my gazpacho like Campbells soup--you could eat it with a fork!