Cool Summer Gazpacho

The spark that eventually led to the explosion of gazpacho most likely originated in ancient Rome. In wartime, Roman soldiers tended to travel with rations of stale bread and olive oil. This allowed them to, whenever they stopped to rest, mash the ingredients with a mortar and pestle and make a very simple soup.

The style of bread soup became a popular food item for laborers all across Europe, especially in a southern region of Spain known as Andalusia. When Columbus "sailed the ocean blue" and returned with all new fruits like chili and tomatoes, they were quickly incorporated in the soup to make it more flavorful.

Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 0 min | Cooling: 4 hrs | Total : 4 hrs 10 min

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• Heirloom tomatoes (3)

• Cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped (1 1/2 cups)

• Padron peppers, seeded (2 peppers)

• French baguette (one 2-inch slice)

• Shallots, chopped (1/4 cup)

• Mint (4 leaves)

• Red wine vinegar (2 tbsp)

• Fresh garlic (1 clove)

• Salt (1/2 tsp)

• Olive oil (3 tbsp)

• Optional: basil leaves and cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth (about 1 minute).

2. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (If you don't want to wait, pour the soup into one or more large freezer bags and place in a bucket of ice water for about 30 minutes). Take out, garnish with a few basil and quartered cherry tomatoes, and serve cold.