Gazpacho!

After a few weeks of blissfully cool weather in DC, summer has returned with a vengeance - heat, humidity, and torrential rainstorms. Which means it is the perfect time to make up a big batch of gazpacho. And with today marking Spain's appearance in the EuroCup finals, it's a great time to make this traditionally Spanish soup.

Some interesting facts about gazpacho - did you know that this cold soup was originally made from stale bread, olive oil, garlic, salt, and vinegar? It wasn't until after 1492 and Columbus' voyage to the New World that tomatoes and bell peppers made it back to Europe and the soup evolved into the form we are more familiar with today.

The gazpacho I made up today is fairly simple, although does require a fair amount of chopping - so if you're out of practice, you might want to stretch first ;) Or if you have a food processor, just chop things a bit chunkier and throw all of the ingredients in together and blend until smooth.

Gazpacho (4-6 servings)
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones that also have green chiles)
1/2 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 large ribs celery, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (green, orange, red, or yellow - use different colors to make your soup prettier)
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves & stems, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups vegetable juice

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until fully mixed or use a food processor to create a smoother soup (process in batches if necessary). Seal and place in refrigerator for several hours. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: If you are making this soup for lunches, as I usually do, make sure to keep any leftover vegetable juice on hand for later in the week, when you might find that the veggies have soaked up more liquid - and thus a few dashes of juice are necessary.