Gazpacho

With fresh veggies beginning to come in, this cold summer soup is wonderful. The kids loved it; called it salad in a soup bowl! Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch or as a first course for a nice dinner.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 2 large firm red tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 medium sized green pepper, cubed
• 1 medium sized cucumber, thickly sliced
• 1 small onion, thickly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

• 1 small green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 1 small cucumber, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups toasted croutons

Directions:

Place the tomatoes in the blender and blend a few seconds at high speed. Add the green pepper, cucumber and onion slices a few at a time, and blend a few seconds after each addition.

Add the tomato paste and bread crumbs and blend until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Place in a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Combine the cumin and garlic in a small bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise and vinegar. Add the broth and mayonnaise mixture to the pureed vegetables.

IF desired, force through a sieve, pressing down on the residue to extract all the juice. I like the texture the residue gives to the soup.

Season the soup with salt and pepper and refrigerate for two to three hours.

Place each of the garnish ingredients in individual serving bowls. Before serving, stir the soup thoroughly and place in individual soup bowls. Pass the garnish ingredients separately

Source: A combination of recipes plus our family's tastes

By Nancy from Roanoke, VA