I call this Line it up Gazpacho because basically you set up your food processor on the counter, drop in the chopping/pureeing blade, line up a whole bunch of groovy-fresh seasonal produce on the counter and go to town.  Put the items in the processor one at a time, chopping them thoroughly but not to a liquid, unless that’s what you like, then dump them into your serving bowl.  I like my gazpacho with a lot of texture.  Add a few seasonings –vinegar, lime and lemon juice– and enjoy!

Gazpacho is one of my favorite things to make (& eat) because it is really about the ingredients- exact measurements don’t matter that much.  It’s about what you like and what’s available.  In fact, I recall a particularly delicious yellow pepper and pineapple gazpacho I made one summer.   But that’s another recipe.  For this one, my tweaks on classic gazpacho are the carrots, which add great sweetness and texture, and the corn.

Process and then pour into your serving bowl and stir together the following: (All produce should be cut into chunks before processing)

2 garlic cloves and one half of a sweet onion, Vidalia or Bermuda

1 large or a few small cukes, peeled and seeded

3 good-sized or several small tomatoes, peeled if you wish (I don’t bother with this step)

one red and one green pepper, or whatever you have available, seeded and chunked

1cup peeled carrots

Then, stir in:

Corn, preferably whatever is left from the dozen ears you steamed the night before, scraped from the cob

¾ cup of chopped cilantro

juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime

1 quart tomato juice or v-8 (I use the low-sodium version)

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs vinegar, balsamic or cider

1 tbs honey

salt & pepper to taste

You can eat the gazpacho right away or you can chill it.  To make a meal out of it throw in a few shrimp or some other cooked fish, even some tuna from the can.  Or to keep it vegan, add some garbanzos or black beans and some of your favorite cooked grains.

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