made in spain

andalucian style spanish gazpacho. i am a bowl of gazpacho. it has become my go-to lunch in an inspirational or time pinch. it is light, fresh and delicious. it is not chunky and it is not like eating salsa with a spoon. i don’t like that. the way to avoid the eating salsa pitfall is to follow the recipe and add a slice or hunk of bread. you need a blender. a food processor does not work (for me) in this case, sorry. i don’t measure, this is another clean-out-the-produce-bin recipe. don’t be afraid to use those tomatoes with the bad spots, cut them out, use that shriveling cucumber, just remove the wrinkled parts, no big deal. gazpacho is not super red. if you need that super red color to enjoy it, you can cheat like the restaurants do and add a teaspoon or so of tomato paste. i don’t do that. toss all the following ingredients into a blender and whirl until smooth. add an ice cube or two (or not) if you are going to eat immediately. this can be refrigerated up to 24 hours, it may separate, just stir it before you serve it. if you want to be fancy, you can add some seeded and chopped tomatoes and/or cucumbers with a few drops of olive oil, á la restaurant style, to the top before serving. ingredients: 1 cucumber, chopped, (i don’t peel or seed it), 1 green bell or poblano pepper, seeded and diced, 3-6 ripe tomatoes, diced, 1/2 garlic clove, peeled & pressed, 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 slice bread, crust removed or a hunk of baguette, stale is fine, lots of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, 1/4 cup of water and 1-2 ice cubes (or not). blend and consume.