We have a tomato problem.
And it’s a wonderful problem to have. After being renters for so long, the boyfriend and I may have gotten a little overzealous in our vegetable planting. Now every week, we have to come up with new and creative ways to eat them all! I can’t think of a better solution for an overabundance of veggies than a refreshing summer gazpacho.
If you can find heirloom tomatoes, I highly recommend them, but if not, regular tomatoes will work just fine. I usually think it’s a waste to use heirloom tomatoes in a dish that ends up being blended together, but in this case since we aren’t cooking them, I think it’s worth the splurge.
Smashing the garlic cloves first makes the flavor stronger as well as making it easier to peel. And bonus! It’s really fun to do.
Chop all the veggies and combine with the salt and pepper in a bowl. We need to let the veggies sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so they release all their juices, so I usually go out to play in the garden to see what’s almost ready for harvest and plot (pun intended!) my next recipe plans.
Now that the veggies have been sitting for a while, it’s time to blend! I like to use my trusty immersion blender because I don’t like making extra dishes, but you can also use a regular blender. I also like to alternate between adding ripped pieces of the bread (not pictured) and adding the oil/sherry mixture.
Once blended, strain through a fine mesh strainer. This step takes some serious patience and muscle. I don’t like to throw anything away in the kitchen (I’m a food hoarder!) so I saved the pulp for a future dish.
If you can wait, let the gazpacho chill in the fridge overnight, but if you can’t, at least try to give it an hour.
Add some more basil for garnish and serve!
Garden Gazpacho
Servings: 6 | Active Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- About 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup basil, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 slice of crusty bread
- 1 cup oil
- 2 tbs sherry
Instructions:
- Chop tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pepper, garlic, and basil.
- Combine in a large bowl with salt and pepper.
- Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Blend vegetable mixture with bread, oil, and sherry.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp.
- Chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at a minimum, 1 hour.
- Serve with garnish and enjoy.