Spicy Summer Gazpacho

Adapted from a recipe from Julia Moskin for the New York Times.

Serves 6-8 large portions, or 12 tapas-sized portions

Prep time: 1 hour, plus chilling time (ideally 6 hours or overnight, minimum of 2 hours)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

1 poblano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into chunks

1 small chile pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into chunks (I prefer Jalapeño. Use Serrano for more heat)

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

1 small white onion, peeled and cut into chunks

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and trimmed

3 tbsp vinegar (I prefer sherry or Champagne, but white wine vinegar works well, too)

0.5 cup high quality, extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine everything except the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend on high until very smooth, 2-3 minutes.

2. While running the blender or food processor, add the vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and incorporate fully. The soup will start to emulsify and thicken a bit, almost like a dressing.

3. Strain the mixture through a tamis or fine mesh strainer. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture and press it against the sides of the strainer. (This is an important step. The finer the strainer, the more silky the soup. It does mean, however, the more effort needed to mash the mixture through the mesh. Totally worth it, however.) Discard the solids.

4. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. Chilling for 8 hours is better, and overnight is best.

5. Before serving, season with additional salt and white pepper to taste.

Notes

1. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, a few tablespoons of cold water will help loosen it up.

2. If the soup isn’t tangy enough, add a splash of vinegar.

3. If the soup isn’t spicy enough, a few dashes of tabasco sauce will do the trick!