Get ready to beat the summer heat with this great Gazpacho recipe and a refreshing Jack Daniels Lemonade! Now is a great time to make dishes with fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market!
Easy Gazpacho or Cold Tomato Soup Serves 4 to 6
1 ½ to 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
2 thick slices of day-old bread
1 medium cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 medium shallot
1 to 2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Splash of hot sauce
Garnishes: avocado, red or green bell pepper, cucumber
1. Quarter tomatoes and remove stems. Tear bread into large chunks. Peel and coarsely chop cucumber, shallot, red pepper, and garlic.
2. Place the bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Squeeze the tomato quarters over the bread and add to the bowl. Let sit for about 20 minutes to give the bread time to absorb the tomato juices and soften. If you prefer a thinner gazpacho, omit the bread and continue to the next step.
3. Pulse the tomatoes and bread until they form a rough porridge. Add the cucumber, shallot, red pepper, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Process continuously until ingredients are liquified. A food processor with make gazpacho with more texture; a blender or immersion blender will make the gazpacho smoother.
4. With the blender running, stream in the olive oil. This helps it emulsify more evenly into the soup.
5. Taste the soup. Add more salt or vinegar to taste. If you’d like it thinner, blend in a little water.
6. Transfer the soup to a storage container and refrigerate until chilled. This soup often tastes better the second day after the flavors have had time to settle with each other. Serve the soup with garnishes sprinkled on the top.
Cocktail: Jack and Lemonade
1 ½ oz Jack Daniel Tennessee Whiskey
Lemonade
Thin slices of lemon
Pour whiskey into a rocks glass. Top with lemonade. Add ice and stir. Garnish with lemon slices.
