Summer gazpacho

What to do when you have guests coming for dinner and an oven that mysteriously refuses to heat up?  Make gazpacho.

And it turned out for the best, since this was a hit – cool, flavorful, and rather virtuous.

I used colorful heirloom tomatoes and threw in some juicy watermelon to add a hint of sweetness.  You can use your favorite kind of peppers; I prefer the milder yellow and orange variety, but the red or green ones are more traditional.  Cucumber adds color and a sweet onion, like Vidalia, provides a bit of bite.

The seasonings are easy to customize to your taste – this version is pretty lightly flavored, so that the vegetables can shine, but definitely increase the vinegar if you’d like.  I also added a final drizzle of olive oil to each serving, and offered salt and pepper at the table.

Even if your oven is working fine, these are the days to make gazpacho.  Enjoy!

Summer gazpacho

2 bell peppers (your choice of color)
1 English cucumber
1 small sweet onion
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
1 lb watermelon chunks (no rind)
2 cups tomato juice
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne or sherry vinegar

Core and de-seed peppers, roughly chop, and pulse in food processor until finely chopped.  Add to large bowl. Repeat with onion and cucumber (scrape out seeds but do not peel).

Core tomatoes and chop, and process until mostly broken down.  Add to bowl.  Process watermelon until smooth and add as well.

Stir mixture and add remaining ingredients, adjusting salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste.

Chill well before serving, at least 3-4 hours.