Summer is upon us and if you live in the Sonoran Desert like me, you will try to find any way to stay cool and refreshed.
Cue... a culinary gift from Spain: gazpacho!
If you are a busy bee, but love to entertain with easy to prepare dishes that are also good for your health, then this refreshing taste of the Spanish "V8" is for you!
It's also super simple to make:
Peel and core 4 Roma tomatoes, peel 3 fresh garlic cloves and add a medium-sized cantaloupe melon (cut into pieces and without seeds of course) :)
Add them to your food processor and pulse until nicely blended.
Add some salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, and 3 tablespoons of Spanish olive oil.
When all is mixed well, refrigerate your gazpacho base for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely chop up some English cool cucumber and red onion. Right before your guests arrive, add the cucumber and red onion to your gazpacho base. Et voila! Or LISTO!
You can add some Tabasco to spice things up a bit and serve with a French baguette or a nice focaccia bread drizzled with a bit of Balsamic glaze. Delicious!
Goes well with a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a crispy Hoegaarden beer with a lemon wedge.
If you can't travel, you can always bring some international flavor into your house and make it delicious, budget-friendly and healthy to top it of!
Stay cool!
Ann