Super Gazpacho - Classic Spanish Recipe with an Asian Twist

4 Cups Tomato juice, fresh
4 large Roma tomatoes, grilled (1-1/2 C chopped)
2/3 Cup Filtered water or vegetable stock
2/3 Cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded & diced
2/3 Cup Corn, fresh or frozen
1/3 Cup Green bell pepper, diced
1/3 Cup Red onion, diced
3 Tblsp Lime juice, fresh squeezed
3 Tblsp Cilantro, minced
1 Tblsp shoyu, or to taste
1 Tblsp Basil, minced
1-1/4 tsp Cumin powder, toasted
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Hot sauce
Pinch Cayenne pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, ground to taste

Preparation

Place tomatoes and juice in blender and blend until smooth. Place in a large mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve chilled, the colder the better.

Notes

Wars have been fought over the issue of chunky vs. smooth gazpacho. This version specifies blending until smooth, but if you are more of the chunky persuasion, there's nothing wrong with reserving some of the cucumber, bell pepper, corn, and onion to add to each bowl. I like to try to float a little cucumber and bell pepper on top of each serving.

This is the perfect start for an outdoor summer dinner. I like to follow it with cold poached salmon and maybe fruit for dessert.

About the author: Recipe courtesy of Steve Diamond, proprietor and webmaster of Virtuous Recipes, where you can post and rate your own favorite recipes. Steve is an avid amateur chef.