Monday, June 3, 2013

Gazpacho

Gazpacho
1 clove garlic 1 medium onion, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
3 tomatoes, peeled
1 green pepper, seeded
4 raw eggs
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup tomato juice

garnish:
1 cup bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

Puree the first six ingredients in a blender and mix well with the beaten eggs.  Season with salt, cayenne, vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice and chill.
For the garnish, brown the bread cubes in olive oil with the garlic.  Add the croutons, cucumber, onion and green pepper just before serving.
Gazpacho is actually a liquid salad.  It is one of the most refreshing of soups and must be served ice cold!
Not to be Confused with Gaz-Pug-Cho

As our vegetables would ripen faster than we could pick them from our gardens, we would get out our 5 gallon ice cream pails and make gazpacho.  This soup has been around since ancient days, and has found its way to Minnesota, where we don't like to waste anything. Gazpacho is the  perfect way to enjoy the bounty of summer vegetables.  The ancients recommended the vegetables be pounded to keep the consistency from being too liquid.  We like to add a splash of olive oil and vinegar to give it a bit of a Mediterranean zip.  So get out your mortar and pestle and do some gazpacho with your harvest!