golden gazpacho

my first attempt at gazpacho was 8 years ago and it was disastrous.

i remember the day quite well. Justin and i had just moved into together and had invited my dad over for dinner. so excited to cook for both men that i love so much i got right to work "Creating" a menu that would be the end of all summer dinner menus. well needless to say, the only thing i remember about that dinner was copious amounts of wine and godawful gazpacho. i assured everyone that it was suppose to be that spicy and super chunky - my dad, the super hero he is plowed through the entire bowl, I am pretty sure all in one bite and without taking a breath - then he told me how mush he loved it (yeah right, okay dad - nice try). it tasted like super spicy cold salsa - i quiver just at the thought of it.

i was in love with the idea of gazpacho, it wasn't until i ordered a bowl of gazpacho from bus boys and poets last April while visiting my sister that i fell in love with gazpacho.

the gazpacho that i had with my sister was smooth, delicate with just a hit of heat and sweetness.

utter perfection.

i had to recreate this at home.

so, i started off with the basics - yellow tomato, a heirloom yellowish pepper, hot pepper, cucumber, salt & basil.

smoked chipotle paprika & pine nuts were added for interest.

a few red baby Roma's, freshly cracked pepper and olive oil were added for the prettiness factor, along with a touch of turmeric to deepen the golden hue.

it was even better than i remember.

the combination of the smoky paprika, sweet tomatoes and fiery hot pepper had my taste buds dancing

extremely easy in preparation, this raw soup is made in minutes all without turning on the stove.

this my friends, is what summer tastes like.

i love serving this in shot glasses or mini juice glasses as an appetizer for either a sit down dinner or cocktail party. if you are serving in a shot glass there is no need for spoons - simply set on a tray and pass around to your guests or display on your apps table.

enjoyed at room temp or slightly chilled - this soup can easily be made a day ahead.

short on golden tomatoes? sub in any tomato you have overtaking your garden - sherry tomatoes would even work. i plan on taking this batch with me to the ocean, portable, healthy, simple to eat - the perfect grab and go, eat any where lunch mate.

Golden Gazpacho

serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 mini shooters

you will need:

1/3 cup tightly packed basil

1 yellow pepper - seeds removed & roughly chopped

1lb yellow tomatoes - cored, seeded & chopped 

1/2 cup baby Roma's or other red tomato - seeded & chopped

1 medium seedless cucumber - peeled and diced

1/4 hot pepper- seeds & ribs removed (more pepper & seeds = more heat)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp smoked chipotle paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 - 1 cup cold water

1 tsp per serving of pine nuts

drizzle of olive oil per serving

freshly cracked pepper

little basil leaves for garnishing

assembly:

in a large bowl add all prepped veggie, basil & seasonings - add water, starting off with a 1/2 cup. with an immersion blender blend until smooth, adding more water if needed. a blender can also be used.

when serving, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, a tsp of pine nuts & a generous amount of freshly ground pepper - a few little basil leaves are a nice added touch.

serve at room temp or store in fridge until ready to serve - i prefer a slight chill so I plate about 10 minutes prior to serving straight from the fridge.

enjoy!

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