newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MARGARET MORGAN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

This summer, tomatoes have been growing so bountifully that they are literally falling off the vines. They are so luscious and juicy — sweet enough to eat without any seasoning. What to do with so many tomatoes is a delicious dilemma as daily they overcrowd the ripening basket.

One recipe that I continually rely on to use up several tomatoes at one time is gazpacho. It is the perfect dish for a hot summer day, refreshing and nourishing at the same time — and filled with lots of summer's vegetables. It can be served either as a soup course or as a simple main dish with a salad.

My favorite gazpacho recipe is adapted from Jane Butel's Tex-Mex Cookbook:

Ingredients

1 cup V-8 juice (I like to use the spicy V-8)

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove crushed

1 medium Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered

5-6 ripe tomatoes quartered

1 Kirby cucumber peeled and cut in quarters

1 green pepper seeded and quartered

2 tsp. cilantro

2 tsp. fresh basil

Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)

Dash of tabasco (optional)

Directions

1. Place V-8 juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, onion, salt & pepper in food processor and pulse until consistency is coarse
2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until soup has a slightly coarse consistency or to desired texture.
3. Pour into a glass bowl and chill for at least one hour.
4. Serve in glass bowls or goblets (you can line these with Boston lettuce, if desired)
5. Garnish with a cucumber spear and a sprig of fresh basil

Eight servings