Mucho Gazpacho Ala Ignacio

Awww yeah! Nothin' like a man in the kitchen makin' his lady some eats! 
Tonight for dinner, Ignacio threw together one of the dishes he's been making since he was a kid. There's nothing like a big 'ole bowl of refreshing Gazpacho and a nice fresh baguette for lunch or dinner. He makes a ton - enough to feed a family of four for a week - but it only lasts us about three days. Whenever he decides to grace me with a vat of this chilled soup, I end up garnishing every meal with a bowlful. Make a bunch ahead of time - I'm assuming it freezes well although I've never had any left to try!  Gazpacho is one of the most versatile dishes around, and perfect in summertime. Add some spice and it's great with a few tortilla chips as a snack (or with an ounce - or three - of vodka for a hearty Sunday - any day, really - Bloody Mary). Use it as a coulis - style sauce on grilled white fish or chug it out of the blender (like we do).

Last time Ignacio made this gazpacho for a cocktail party, we served it in mini cups garnished with a chilled shrimp.  Everyone raved about the "authentic gazpacho" whipped up by my cute Spanish boy. It is one of the best hostessing ideas I ever had. We were able to make a boatload go very far for little money, we made it ahead of time, and we served it chilled - no need to heat!  Added bonus: we served it in a glass for sipping, so no silverware to clean, either!  

This recipe yields about 10 bowls of gazpacho.

Things you'll need:

1. 1 green bell pepper - cleaned of seeds and veins
2.  2 red bell peppers - cleaned of seeds and veins
   
3. 2 cucumbers
4. 8 tomatoes
5. 4 cloves of garlic - minced
6. 1 cup water
7. 1/4 cup plus 1 tbs. red wine vinegar
8. 1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. olive oil
9. heaping 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
10. 12 turns of a pepper mill

(please excuse the awkward measurements, he's never used any exact figures in this recipe before)
Uno: Give your veggies (cucumber, tomato and peppers) a rough chop. Dos: Combine water, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Tres: Add a little of every type of vegetable to fill the blender. Cuatro: Puree until smooth. Cinco: Grab a large mixing bowl or Tupperware and pour your first blended batch of gazpacho in -reserving 1 cup of puree in the blender. Fill the blender with your veggies again and puree until smooth, dump batch #2 and reserve another cup in the blender. Repeat this step 2 more times - four batches all together.

Look how much fun he's having!

Seis: Add your tray of ice cubes to your remaining 1 cup of puree in the blender and blend until smooth.

Gazpacho slushie

Siete: Now dump everything into your vat o' soup and mix it all together. Stir it well, combining all of the batches and flavors. Stir stir mix mix..

MMM nom nom nom slurrp

 El fin! That's all it is! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Serve your Gazpacho for dinner! It's already nice and chilly. We had a big bowl with a hunk of baguette and a tasty salad with bacon and blue cheese (because we're fatties). Refrigerate any leftovers. I almost think day 2 tastes better than day 1 because it's all had time to steep together and get extra yummy!Now sit back, chillax, keep calm and get your Gazpacho on.