Today is the last day of summer, but there is still time to get tomatoes and make gazpacho. It was 88 degrees in New York City today, so one more cool soup is in order before we get cozy!

damagedgoods
Blemished beauties

See those tomatoes in the photo above? I got them for half price from the “blemished” bin at the farmers market. They are perfect for throwing into the blender for gazpacho. I used to go through the trouble of peeling and seeding tomatoes before making gazpacho. That process turns this simple cold soup into a real production, so I tried skipping that step and have not looked back.

Last Gasp Gazpacho

3 large, very ripe tomatoes (about 3 lbs), cored and roughly chopped

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 medium orange pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small garlic clove, chopped (about 1 tsp)

1 small white onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)*

1/2 small red onion, chopped* (about 3 Tbsp. This was a really small onion)

2 Tbsp shallot, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chives, chopped (for garnish, optional)

*I love onions, but sometimes they don’t love me. To minimize onion gut punch, I soak the chopped onions in cold water for about 10 minutes and then drain before incorporating them into the recipe.

Save a few pieces of the pepper and cucumber for garnish. Throw all remaining the ingredients, except olive oil and chives, into a blender and puree until smooth. With the blender still running, gradually (and carefully!) add in the olive oil. Turn off the blender and taste. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) if needed. I recommend chilling this for a couple of hours before serving.

Serve in bowls garnished with chives and reserved cucumbers and peppers. Drizzle with a little olive oil and say goodbye to summer.

gazpacho2

Last Gasp Gazpacho

Ingredients
  

  • 3 large very ripe tomatoes (about 3 lbs), cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 1 medium orange pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 small garlic clove, chopped (about 1 tsp)
  • 1 small white onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)*
  • 1/2 small red onion, chopped* (about 3 Tbsp. This was a really small onion)
  • 2 Tbsp shallot, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp chives, chopped (for garnish, optional)

Instructions
 

  • Save a few pieces of the pepper and cucumber for garnish. Throw all remaining the ingredients, except olive oil and chives, into a blender and puree until smooth. With the blender still running, gradually (and carefully!) add in the olive oil. Turn off the blender and taste. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) if needed. I recommend chilling this for a couple of hours before serving.
  • Serve in bowls garnished with chives and reserved cucumbers and peppers. Drizzle with a little olive oil and say goodbye to summer.

Notes

*I love onions, but sometimes they don’t love me. To minimize onion gut punch, I soak the chopped onions in cold water for about 10 minutes and then drain before incorporating them into the recipe.

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