Smokey Gazpacho Soup
Salt Lake City Showroom, Cathie Mooers
This is a fabulous soup to have on a hot summer night. We will be grilling the vegetables for this soup. Grill vegetables whole or cut into two pieces. Not any smaller, you do not want them to fall through the grate as you are grilling. Use a food processor or blender to puree.
2 lb vine-ripe medium tomatoes, cut in half, seeded
1 hot house cucumbers, cut length wise, seeded
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut in half, cored, seeded
1 medium onion, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups spicy tomato juice
1 to 2 tbs chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Garnishes:
chopped tomato
chopped cucumber
chopped bell pepper
chopped onion
lemon wedges
Lightly oil anything that will be grilled, helps it to keep from sticking Grill tomatoes and onion until soft, and bell pepper until the skin has blackened. Take off the grill and cool. When bell pepper has cooled enough to handle, pull skin off and remove the seeds. Using a food processor or blender; add the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Puree the ingredients until almost smooth, leaving a little texture. Pour vegetable mixture into a large bowl; stir in tomato juice, sugar, chili pepper, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, cilantro, and lemon juice until well combined. Refrigerate the soup for a couple of hours until well chilled; this will develop the flavor. Season the gazpacho again with salt and pepper before serving. Serve with garnishes and grilled artisan breads.
