Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho

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For those of you still sweltering in the heat of Summer (to my local readers, "What's with the Fall-like temperatures??"), I give you this chilled bowl of light and creamy goodness with a little kick.

If you are a longtime follower, you may recall the Tomato-Based Gazpacho that I posted over two years ago.  I like to think of this "white" gazpacho as the flip-flop version.  The base of this soup is a combination of cucumbers and yogurt and the garnish is the tomato-based salsa.  

I use plain low-fat yogurt; not greek, and regular garden cucumbers; not English.  I use 1-2 jalapeños depending on the heat.  (Jalapeños can be as mild as a green pepper or hot as blazes.)  The salsa calls for white wine vinegar rather than the lime juice in a more traditional salsa.  I also use a large shallot in lieu of a yellow onion.  It has a milder flavor and I think the flavor marries nicely with the vinegar and cucumber flavors.

A bowl of this gazpacho is like the contents of your harvest basket after a stroll through your late Summer garden.  The flavors and aromatics present offer a new experience with each spoonful, so make some and get veggie with it! 

Tomato-Based Gazpacho

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It's H-O-T and I am not referring to the Tabasco in this recipe.  The temperature outside is climbing to the 100º F mark.  Definitely too hot to be turning on the stove, so a batch of this soup was in order.  It is nourishing and statisfying without weighing you down and it requires little effort.  It is also a great way to keep up your fluids and electrolytes in times of extreme heat.

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato-based raw vegetable soup that originates from southern Spain. There are many variations in color and flavor of the original gazpacho, which included fresh summer vegetables and stale bread.  Nowadays, one can find recipes for gazpachos that include fruit and seafood, as well as ingredients like avocado and cucumber that alter the color. This tomato-based recipe stays fairly close to the roots of gazpacho with the exception of the stale bread.  I keep the bread on the side for dipping.

The original recipe calls for green bell pepper and onion, but I much prefer the sweetness of red bell pepper and shallots.  I also use a few green onions for their mild onion flavor.  Fresh garlic adds a bit of a bite and fresh flat-leaf parsley lends a nice lemony note. The acidity from the tomatoes and vinegar is balanced by a good extra-virgin olive oil.  In terms of texture, make it according to your own liking.  Some prefer their gazpacho chunky and some like it smooth.  I prefer it somewhere in between with a garnish of finely diced cucumber for added crunch. Lastly, several good splashes of Tabasco will accentuate the flavor in this fresh vegetable mixture if a bit of heat is your thing.  If you can't stand the heat outside, try it in this bowl of summery goodness!