Well for all you "mater" lovers.. here is a recipe for a classic Spanish Gazpacho that I learned when visiting friends in Madrid a decade ago.
Gazpacho
6-7 large RIPE tomatoes (I personally prefer to deseed the tomatoes first, as this lowers the chance of crushing a seed during the blending stage, but it's not neccessary)
1 cucumber
3-4 garlic cloves crushed (I've tried variations with roasted too, both are good.)
1/2 cup ev olive oil (evo or regular to taste)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 hogie sized piece of dry French bread
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
Then pour everthing through a vegetable mill and sift into a large bowl (this removes all the tomatoe seeds and cucumber skin)
This is what one looks like... should be around $15-25 at any kitchen supply store
Gazpacho is a traditional cold soup typically served before a main course.
To further enhance the classic serving of gazpacho, you can cut cucumbers, french bread, and hard boiled eggs into 1/4" or smaller cubes.
Your guests can then choose to sprinkle them over the soup before enjoying.
Personally I drink this stuff down straight out of a glass... and am amazed as to how it sticks with you. One large glass in the morning will keep you full till lunch.
This is just a traditional recipe... you can of course mix it up with alot of other veggies and toppings.
Enjoy!
