gazpacho on a summer night.

Our dear family friend who lived across the street from my family in Toronto always had gazpacho in her fridge (maybe not always, but my memory is that it was always there). I remember many a lunch at the kitchen table at their house by the amazing vintage stove that she lit with a match, sitting with her four kids having gazpacho soup.

I've made many different versions, but this is my standby. We had it tonight for dinner before I ducked out to a friends to drink wine and have a lovely catch up. I rode my bike for the first time this summer there and home, I had forgotten how much I love my bike and how great it is to ride around East Van in the early evening . Matt gave it to me for my birthday a couple of years back and I love it so much. It's a vintage Raleigh bike in British racing green.

Summer Gazpacho

makes enough for about 8 - 10 good sized servings

3 1/2  pounds tomatoes (I used 10) peeled, cored and chopped
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1  cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 celery stalks chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons kosher salt
a few dashes of woster sauce
lots of fresh ground pepper
a few dashes of Tabasco to taste

In batches, pulse the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, celery, jalapeno, parsley and tomato paste until almost totally pureed, I like to leave a little texture to mine. Pour the pureed veggies into a large bowl. Add tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper, woster and Tabasco. Chill for at least one hour before serving. The soup keeps really well in the fridge for a few days, and like most tomato based sauces, tastes better the next day!

I garnished ours with avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds.