Gazpacho

Ingredients

• ½ English cucumber
• ½ lg/115g red bell pepper green bell pepper or other sweet pepper
• 2 lb/900g ripe tomatoes
• 1 med/90g sweet onion, red onion or shallot
• 1 clove garlic, medium sized
• 1 teas Chipotle in Adobo (more if desired to taste) for mild heat, use only the Adobo sauce
• ¼ c/8g loosely packed basil leaves
• 1 tbsp/3g fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp/30ml red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp/30ml lemon juice
• ¼ c/60ml olive oil
• ½ tsp/3g salt
• ½ tsp/1g ground pepper

To garnish optional

• Flaky salt
• Pungent olive oil
• Finely sliced basil
• Sliced cherry tomatoes
• Toasted pinenuts
• Coarse ground pepper

Steps

1. Peel cucumber and remove the seeds. Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper.

   Dice cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, and shallot. Peel and crush garlic. Thinly slice basil.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine prepared bell pepper, cucumber, shallot, garlic, basil, and oregano. Process on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until a coarse paste forms.

3. Add diced tomatoes, vinegar, and lemon juice. Process on high for 3-4 minutes until mostly smooth. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in batches.

4. Running the processor or blender on medium to low, add olive oil. Process for an additional minute to emulsify the oil.

5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors blend.

6. Serve cold in small bowls, glass or appetizer “shooters” in small glasses. Garnish as desired with a drizzle of olive oil and any of the other options. Try a flavored olive oil.

7. Keep in an air tight, covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.