March 2016

Unless you grew up in an Italian family, it’s quite possible that you made it all the way through childhood without ever eating Gazpacho. This seemingly simple soup is full of surprises, from its bright flavor that smacks of summer to the fact that it’s bread-and-olive-oil based. With so many possible variations, gazpacho recipes can get waaaaay over-complicated. But for you, the apartment-dwelling urbanite on the go, we’ve nailed down a surprisingly easily-to-make take on this tasty tomato soup. So next time you’re at the Rochester Public Market, give in to that urge to buy all of the vegetables, spring-clean your blender, and start knocking your spring lunches out of the park.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces of a delicious bread with crusts removed, torn into 1- to 2-inch chunks
• 4 large ripe tomatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 small red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped oregano leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
• Parsley, chives, or oregano for serving

Directions

• Place bread in bottom of a large bowl. Add half of the tomatoes in an even layer on top and season generously with salt and pepper. Add cucumbers, onion, peppers, and garlic. Sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper. Add remaining tomatoes and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Drizzle oil and vinegar over the top. Let mixture rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

• Toss ingredients until they are evenly incorporated. Transfer half of the contents, including liquid at bottom of bowl, to blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Press mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Repeat in batches with remaining soup. Season with more salt, pepper, and vinegar as desired.

• Garnish with chopped herbs, drizzle EVOO on top, and serve immediately or chill for up to 3 days.

Recipe originally published on SeriousEats.com.