Gazpacho

I am not a cucumber fan, but Thom likes them OK. So when we got cucumbers in our farm box, again, I decided to try to do something with one of them instead of just giving them all away. I had heard of gazpacho, a cold soup that has cucumbers in it. Thom even reminded me that we used to get it from a local catering company that had a take-out business close by before Aaron was born. But I can't remember it very well.

I found a basic recipe on Cooks.com and modified it. Although I often prefer to start with recipes from AllRecipes.com since I can see how other people rated a recipe, I had a hard time finding one with primarily fresh ingredients. Most called for tomato juice or canned tomatoes. Here is my recipe:

3 medium-large tomatoes, quartered
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and cut into thick slices
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces
1 large shallot, quartered
1 clove garlic
1 handful fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
salt
ground black pepper

Puree in a blender. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Thom liked it, but felt like it was missing something. He added celery seed to his, which he liked. I did see recipes calling for celery, but wasn't sure how well it would puree in the blender. He also liked it with white pepper. I liked the cilantro, which I only used because we had some fresh from the farm box. And The Flavor Bible confirmed that cilantro goes with cucumbers. If I was serving it to guests, I might garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro.

Some recipes suggest garnishing with sour cream or croutons, but I just served it as is. It was quick and easy to make and I didn't have to run the oven or stove which was a huge plus.