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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Easy Delicious Gazpacho

I used to make Gazpacho completely from scratch. Then a couple of summers ago I improvised a “quick and dirty” recipe on a sweltering summer night. Having received a big thumbs up from Chuck, I never looked back. Be warned, if you are a Gazpacho purist, stop reading now. Or, if you require precise measurements in a recipe, you too should skip this one. But if you like to wing it in the kitchen and a recipe is just a jumping off point --- enjoy!

2 cans of Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes, already chilled
Yes, cans - I warned you! ;o)
(14 1/2 oz. each Original Recipe with onions, celery & green peppers)
Lime juice
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Ground Cumin
Cucumber - small dice
Celery - small dice
Green Pepper - small dice
V8 Vegetable Juice (tomato based) - chilled
Splash of your favorite hot sauce

Dump the cans of stewed tomatoes into a bowl and using an immersion (stick) blender, pulse the tomatoes to break them into very small pieces. Do not puree. Add the lime juice and the four dried spices. Stir and set the bowl in the refrigerator to keep chilling. Dice the cucumbers, celery and green peppers (amounts are up to you) and add to the tomato mixture. Stir. Add V8 until you achieve the desired “soupy” consistency and balance of liquid to diced bits. Taste. Adjust spices and add a splash of your favorite hot sauce if desired. Serve chilled.

You can make and serve this immediately, if you had a couple of cans of the stewed tomatoes in the refrigerator. Or make it ahead and allow all the flavors to marry. We enjoy it served with thin, white corn tortilla chips.

4 comments:

purpleronnie said...

sounds delish! can't wait to try it!

Roo said...

EEEEEK I can feel Spaniards the world over turning in their graves.

Ok, that was for the benefit of our friend Fernando who makes the best Gazpacho.

I can in fact say that this sounds delicious, I may try it.....if ever the weather in this damn country decides to get better!

Cheers, Roo

Pink Granite said...

Hope you like it Ronnie! It really is yummy and dead easy to boot!
;o)
- Lee

Oh Hush Roo! I warned all purists to stop reading long before I mentioned the cans!!!
I'm sure Fernando's Gazpacho is both authentic and out of this world!
If you do dare to try this recipe, just make sure the drapes are drawn first!
;o)
- Lee

Roo said...

Drapes - I so love the colonial accent ;o) It's a much nicer word than curtains.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong in using a can of something, as long as they are cleared away before the guests arrive!