A couple days ago, a recipe for Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho ended up in my email, and that same afternoon I came home to discover that our local supermarket had sent out a coupon for a free pound of heirloom tomatoes!  Synchronicity!  We hadn’t made gazpacho since last summer, and we’ve been meaning to try out a blended version to see how it compares to the chunky-style we’ve made in the past.  The recipe here is adapted from Latin Evolution, set to release in a few weeks.

Lisa says:

Are you making snacks and trying to pass them off as dinner again?

Chris says:

Hey, what’s wrong with wanting to eat light?

Lisa says:

Nothing, but come on… I literally ran out of the house to get food to go with this soup.

Chris says:

Okay, okay… but the question is, how do you like it?

Lisa says:

I like it … it might be just a touch too vinegary, though.

Chris says:

I agree — I updated the recipe note that you should taste it as you go before adding it all in.

Lisa says:

Good idea. So, this is really smooth…

Chris says:

…like yacht-rock!

Lisa says:

…sure… I think I like the chunky version a little better though.

Chris says:

I’m undecided. I think with a little tweaking this one could be the winner for me — I actually prefer the pureed consistency. The chunkier version was almost like just eating a bowl of salsa.

Lisa says:

What’s wrong with that?

Chris says:

Nothing, if I just wanted a snack…

Lisa says:

Why does that sound so familiar?

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
4 large red heirloom tomatoes
2/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic
1/4-1/3 cup sherry vinegar
3 tbsp diced day-old baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 English cucumber, seeded and diced
yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
red onion, diced

Core and peel the tomatoes, then cut into chunks. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, most of the vinegar, and bread. Taste, and if needed, add the rest of the vinegar. Puree until smooth. While pureeing, slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until cold. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with cilantro, accompanied by the diced cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.

Makes 4-6 cups, depending on the size of the tomatoes