After a very warm September, many of us still have access to garden-grown or at least farm-fresh vegetables. If you are one of the lucky ducks who can get their hands on plump, sweet tomatoes and other fruits of Mother Nature, the best way to use them is in their most unadulterated form possible. I like to call this kind of simple food preparation embracing the raw beauty of produce. Good food doesn’t need much applied effort to taste amazing.
This End of Summer Garden Gazpacho is as delicious as it is easy. It takes less that 15 minutes to make from start to finish (though it does require refrigerator time). Pair it with my Homemade Multigrain Bread or a side of my Warm Chickpea and Sweet Potato Salad for a well-rounded, clean meal to keep you healthy this fall.
End of Summer Gazpacho
Ingredients:
- 8 medium or 5 large ripe tomatoes, halved and cored
- 3 medium cloves of garlic
- 1 organic cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
- 3-4 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 3-4 Tbs olive oil, divided
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Squeeze tomatoes into a blender then dump in the remaining meat.
- Add the rest of the vegetables, vinegar, half the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste—remembering you can always add more but can’t subtract!
- Refrigerate for several hours or better yet overnight to help develop the flavors.
- Service with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil, parsley, cilantro or chives!