Nothing says summer to me quite like gazpacho soup. When tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil are bountiful, it is one of my favorite things to make and one of the healthiest soups you can serve.
There are many different recipes for gazpacho soup and no wrong way to make it. Over the years, I have learned that I prefer a lighter version—one that lets the freshness of the ingredients speak for themselves and doesn't contain oil. Many of the recipes I have seen call for straight tomato juice—I prefer low-sodium V8 juice. I like the taste of the vegetables and prefer to salt things myself. In addition, I do not like my gazpacho completely smooth. I find that using an immersion blender helps me achieve the consistency I like. If you don’t own one, I suggest using a blender or food processor and chopping a few of the vegetables to throw in at the end to give the soup additional texture.
Over the years, I have experimented quite extensively with recipes and have created one of my own. My recipe calls for both basil and cilantro, which makes the soup taste really fresh. Make sure to coarsely chop all of the ingredients before attempting to mix them together or your blender will have difficulties. If using a traditional blender, be sure to add the tomatoes first.
Gazpacho Soup
5 large tomatoes, seeded
2 large cucumbers, seeded
1 pepper, cored and seeded
1 onion, peel and ends removed
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and chopped more finely
1 large bunch of basil
1 medium bunch of cilantro
4 cups low-sodium V8 juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of one lemon, more if desired
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients together until desired consistency is achieved. Add in extra vegetables if desired. Allow the soup to sit at least one day if possible. Gazpacho tastes best about two days after making, but can be eaten any time.
