Ice-cold gazpacho is refreshing in the summer heat and seriously delicious with heirloom tomatoes and other farm-fresh ingredients! This recipe will help you jazz things up a bit with a variety of tasty and colorful toppings. You will find heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, different colored bell peppers, and red onions at the market this week!
- 4 large assorted heirloom tomatoes or 8 small to medium tomatoes
- 8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp sherry vinegar or more to taste
- 4 peeled garlic cloves optional
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup finely minced cucumber
- 1/2 cup finely minced yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 cup finely minced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup finely minced red onion
- 2 Tbsp finely minced black olives
Garnish:
- cilantro leaves
- basil leaves
- thinly sliced jalapeno
Cut the tomatoes in large chunks and add to a food processor or high speed blender. Add olive oil, vinegar, and garlic, if using. Blend until smooth. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Refrigerate the puree until it is nice and cold before serving.
When ready to serve, put some of the minced cucumber, onion, and pepper in the bottom of each of 4 small bowls. Fill each bowl with gazpacho, and then top with cucumber, pepper, onion, and olives.
Serve cold, garnished with fresh herbs and jalapeno slices. Add additional cracked pepper to taste. A splash of Worcestershire or hot sauce can add a nice flavor boost, if desired.
For flair, work with 4 different colors of tomatoes separately in ¼ ingredient batches, then top with garnishes of contrasting color!
