Chillin’ With Mom’s Summer Soup
July 21, 2005

It’s July, and everyday Mother Nature’s vegetable world is erupting in a delicious riot of colors, flavors and textures. The produce available now is epic, and nothing showcases it better than my Mom’s gazpacho. Gazpacho (gahz-PAH-choh) is a tomato-based soup of chopped vegetables served ice cold. It refreshes and restores like nothing else during the dog days of summer. The soup is a wonderful base for any style of meal: usually Mom serves it with a simple dollop of crème frachie or sour cream, but for special evenings there might be a precious lump of lobster tail or some shrimp swimming among the veggies. When Mom serves the soup for comfort food on a steamy, rainy day, golden homemade croutons, pan toasted in good olive oil, bob invitingly on top. The variations for gazpacho garnishes are infinite, have your way with it! I love this soup because it embodies all that my Mother taught me about cooking: fresh is best, less is more, and a good bowl of soup will do more for world peace than any political soapbox. Thanks, Mom, and pots full of love!

Pat Myette’s Summer Gazpacho
- 3 large local tomatoes, chopped, seeds and all
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- one half cup green tail onions, chopped
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups V-8 juice, divided into 2 parts
- one fourth cup red wine vinegar
- one fourth cup olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- one half teaspoon white pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- one half teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Finely chop all of the vegetables. Combine 2 cups of V-8 juice, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic in food processor. Mix well. Pour into large glass bowl; add remaining 2 cups of V-8 juice and vegetables. Mix well, combining thoroughly. Cover and chill overnight. Yield: over two quarts.  This recipe is a chunky textured version, all of the vegetables may be pureed if you prefer a smoother finished product.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008