I have been eating way too much junk lately.  I ate ramen last night, and the night before last I ate McDonald’s. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this morning, while watching my neighbor’s children, I ate a fruit by the foot!  My body is begging for something with sustenance.  If I am looking for something packed with nutrients, my go-to meal is gazpacho.

I fell in love with gazpacho as a teenager at my cousin’s wedding.  I was not a vegetable lover, but something about the flavor of each vegetable melding together to create this bold, chilled, summer soup is magical.  It transports me to the country that gave us this classic recipe.

Gazpacho originally was made in the Andalusian area (Spain), and was composed of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, and a liquid like vinegar or water.  These ingredients were blended together, and additional vegetables and nuts were added to form the cold soup.  As the soup evolved, it became more popular.  The recipe traveled from Europe to Africa, and some believe, even traveled with Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic.  Today, Gazpacho is made world wide, and often includes a vast array of fruits and vegetables.  I have even had a strawberry and watermelon gazpacho that was delicious!

Spanish Gazpacho

(makes enough to feed an army – you may want to half the recipe)

• 2 cucumber
• 3 red bell peppers
• 2 red onions
• 8 plum tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 6 cups of tomato juice
• 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Optional Toppings:

• Sour Cream
• Croutons
• Avocado
• Tabasco

This soup is completely raw, and while it sounds like you have to be a vegetable lover in order to enjoy it, you really don’t realize you are eating all of these vegetables!

First, core and seed the bell peppers and the cucumbers, but leave the skin on the cucumbers.  Peel both the of the onions and the garlic cloves.  Roughly chop the bell peppers, cucumbers, and onions.

If you have a decent blender, you can use that (I use my Vitamix), or you can use a food processor to dice your vegetables.  If you do not have either of these, finely chop each one by hand, placing the diced vegetables into a large bowl when done.  If you do have a blender or a food processor, put each type of vegetable in one at a time and chop.  Be careful not to over chop, you still want some chunks of vegetables in your soup.

Once all the vegetables have been diced and placed in a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, tomato juice, salt, and pepper.  Be heavy handed on both the salt and pepper.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for as long as you can, but at least for an hour.  This allows the flavor to meld together and will procedure a more flavorful soup.

When ready to serve, divide the chilled soup between bowls, and top with whatever sounds good to you.  I enjoy mine with a scoop of sour cream, lots of hot sauce, croutons, and a couple of avocado slices.

While I have never been to Spain, I imagine the bold, bright flavors of this soup are representative of Spain’s culture, its people, and its beauty.