Smooth Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho

Midsummer brings heaps of juicy, ripe tomatoes along with hot, humid weather. A combination which is perfect for all sorts of easy, no-cook tomato recipes, like this super yummy smooth tomato gazpacho!

Tomato season is one of my favorite times of the year. Each summer I wait in anticipation of all the wonderful local and heirloom tomatoes which the nearby farms will have on offer. The rest of the year we have the occasional tomato from the supermarket, but mostly we wait. And wait.

And then I buy them like crazy. Boxes of ‘seconds’ to roast up and put away in the freezer for sauces in the winter. Beautiful heirloom varieties and big, beefsteak tomatoes to enjoy in all sorts of no-cook recipes, like Salad Caprese and Greek Chopped Salad and Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce (coming soon!).

That is, when I’m not pureeing them up with cucumbers and bread into Tomato Gazpacho! 🙂

This smooth tomato gazpacho is the second no-cook cold soup I’m sharing with you here, and, like the Cold Cucumber Buttermilk Soup, it is a snap to make. Assemble your ingredients, pull out your blender, and a few minutes later you have soup! Though, as with the cucumber soup, it will be so much better if you can let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. No-cook soups need that resting time, both to fully chill and to allow the flavors to merge so they will be at their best.

You totally want this soup to be at its best! So, make it in the morning or the night before.

Depending on my mood, I’ll have this soup as main vegetarian course with a salad or as a side along with some grilled steak or as an elegant first course to a special meal. Don’t wait for a special meal to make this though! It’s too easy and too yummy not to make for dinner tonight.

And don’t expect it to be red. 🙂  Tomato gazpacho isn’t going to be red, more pink or peachy from all that lovely olive oil and bread and the cucumbers. Each of which lend their flavor to make this a soup you’ll be waiting to make. Just as soon as those tomatoes are ripe.

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

Smooth Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho

 

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Prep/Hold time

2 hours 15 mins

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

 

Fresh, ripe, and juicy summer tomatoes and crisp cucumbers make a yummy gazpacho in this easy, no-cook cold soup perfect for a hot day.

Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Spanish

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 lbs tomatoes (5 medium)
• 1 cubanelle pepper, or sweet Italian pepper
• 4 medium scallions
• ½ medium cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• 2 cups (2 oz) of stale artisan bread, crusts removed
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, cubanelle pepper, scallions, cucumber, garlic, and jalapeno.
2. Puree all the vegetables, along with the bread, olive oil, and sherry vinegar in a blender until smooth. You may need to add up to ½ cup of water to thin out the soup a bit. Add the water a couple of tablespoons at a time until you are happy with the consistency. If the ingredients are too much for your blender, split the soup into 2-3 batches.
3. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the pureed soup into the strainer and work it through the strainer, discarding the solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Let the soup chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
5. If desired, garnish with finely sliced scallions, minced jalapeno, chopped parsley/cilantro, or a little finely diced tomato or cucumber.

Notes

You can substitute a bell pepper for the cubanelle. However, only use ¼ of a medium bell pepper since they are much larger and thicker than cubanelles.

I used 3 small, thin skinned cucumbers. I would recommend them if they are available. No need to peel or seed them!

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