gazpacho

On scorchers, like today, the cold tomato soup gazpacho is a required refreshment (it's a very good hangover remedy as well). You can buy ready-made gazpacho here, but made fresh really is better. Here's an easy version: 1 pint tomato juice 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 large cucumber, chopped 2 green peppers (I usually use the Italian pepper), chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon cumin 3 T red wine vinegar 1 T olive oil bread crumbs (optional) There are a couple ways to do this. One is to mix all of the ingredients together in a blender. Another is to mix the juice and the spices, vinegar, and oil, and then serve the chopped vegetables on the side for each individual to add to their bowl. I've seen both done here, and both are delicious. Additionally, if I have some day-old bread, I will make fine bread crumbs and add before blending, to create a slightly thicker version. The key point is that the soup is served very cold. Therefore, it's best to make early in the day and get it right into the fridge.