I must admit that before making this recipe I’d never eaten Gazpacho before. I love soup and will whip up a pot even in 90 degree weather. Soup is that one dish I go to whenever I feel sick or sad or just need a bowl full of comfort. I probably eat soup at least once a week. Sometimes I clean out the veggies in my fridge, toss ’em in my Dutch oven along with some broth and noodles or whatever grains I have on hand and enjoy a bowl of soup for lunch all week. On occasion I’ve even thrown an egg drop soup together for breakfast. For me, soup is just as close to perfect as a meal can get. Then there’s Gazpacho, which is Spanish in origin, typically made with raw vegetables, and always served cold. A cold soup I don’t cook? The idea of a raw cold soup twisted with my comfort zone quite a bit and so I’d never given it a chance. However it’s been really hot and humid this past week and I had a bunch of farm fresh tomatoes on my counter along with a few ears of leftover grilled corn on the cob. So I thought why the hell not? To my surprise the cold Gazpacho was delightfully flavorful and refreshing. Plus it was prepped and in the fridge in about 15 minutes! The Gazpacho didn’t last long that’s for sure and now I’m excited to try different flavors this summer.

Ingredients: 

4 large fresh tomatoes, chopped

3 grilled corn on the cob, kernels removed from cob

1 cup vegetable broth or homemade stock

1/2 teaspoon Hickory Smoked salt

1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Generous amount of fresh Black Pepper

1 to 2 chopped jalapenos, optional.

Method: 

In a large mixing bowl puree all ingredients until smooth with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Pour gazpacho into a covered dish and chill in the fridge at least an hour up to overnight. Once the gazpacho has thoroughly chilled, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. This dish loves generous seasonings. Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream or fresh ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil,  a teaspoon of grilled corn, fresh basil or parsley, and additional cracked black pepper if desired. The gazpacho is especially refreshing on a hot summers day.