Gazpacho

This recipe was shared by Ree Drummond, of  “Pioneer Woman”.  A great way to use up some of those tomatoes on a hot summer/early fall day.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 whole red or yellow onion, diced
1 whole large cucumber, diced
5 whole tomatoes, diced
1 whole zucchini, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 dash salt to taste
1/4 gallon tomato juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons white sugar
6 dashes tabasco sauce
1 dash black pepper to taste

Optional ingredients for garnish: croutons or bagel chips

Ree’s suggestion for garnish: grilled shrimp

Directions:
1.  In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic with half the red onion, half the cucumber, half the tomato, half the zucchini, half the celery, half the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, tabasco, and a dash of salt.
2.  Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.
3.  Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice, and half of the remaining onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and celery. (Reserve the rest of the diced vegetables for garnish.)
4.  Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!
5.  Remove the soup from the refrigerator and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with remaining diced vegetables, a sliver of fresh avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. Finally, place a grilled shrimp on the top and serve with grilled slices of bread.

This is a to-die-for summer dinner!