Spicy Summer Gazpacho

Happy summer, y'all! We are WELL into the sweltering months here in Texas, how about you? I don't mind it though. I'd trade 1 New England winter for 100 Texas summers ANY day!

You do need to learn how to handle the heat here, though. Which is why when I'm craving a delicious way to get my veggies in, I whip up an easy gazpacho.

By using a combination of cooked and fresh veggies, the flavors are wonderfully complex. And chilling the soup overnight helps those flavors develop even more.

Add with a slice of warm bread and butter, and this is the perfect summer meal!

Spicy Summer Gazpacho

• 2-4 large, ripe tomatoes
• 1 red pepper, OR one jar roasted red peppers
• 1 cucumber, seedless preferred
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato juice (I use spicy!)
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 2+ cloves garlic (do you like garlic? I add up to 5!)
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp high quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sliced scallions, for garnish
• pinch of cayenne, for garnish
• 2 tbsp creme fraiche, for garnish, OR 1 tbsp sour cream + 1 tbsp water
• salt and pepper

-Dice the following veggies: tomatoes, pepper, cucumber (peel it first!), onion, and garlic.

-Over medium heat, heat a bit of the olive oil. Cook HALF of the veggies you just chopped until soft. BONUS: if you'd like to ROAST the veggies in the oven first, even better! But for a hot summer's day, stovetop might save on the AC ;)

-Let the veggies cool to room temperature. Reserve a few of the fresh veggie dice for garnish, if desired, and put the rest of the non-garnish ingredients into a blender and pulse until mixture is smooth or desired consistency. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

-Pour into a bowl and let chill overnight. Serve cold, with garnishes.