Bloody Mary Gazpacho

With a husband that graduated from Florida State and Alabama medical school, a son at Georgia Tech, and a daughter who just graduated from the University of Alabama, being the lone LSU fan & grad of the family gets tiresome, especially after what happened with the Auburn last Saturday and Coach Les Miles being let go this week.

However, this Bloody Mary Gazpacho helps to ease the pain while providing nutritional value too.

Though brisk fall days are something we look forward to as October approaches and football season is on our minds, the weather can still be quite warm and unpredictable.

With many games scheduled for kick-off in the morning and afternoon, tailgaters will be looking for something to quench their thirst as well as satisfy their appetites.

This refreshing Bloody Mary, combined with cool Gazpacho feeds your crowd easily. No cooking is required, and it can be savored on the go. Best of all, tailgaters of age can add a splash of vodka to kick it up a notch.

Gazpacho is a Spanish raw tomato-based chilled soup, blended with a variety of vegetable produce. The spiced tomato juice packs a punch, while the confetti of chopped vegetables, along with all of their vitamin C, nourishes fans hard at work cheering for their home team.

Bloody Mary Gazpacho

I like my Gazpacho semi-chunky, so I blend only half, adding the other half to the mixture before refrigerating. This enticing soup, filled with an array of spices, perfectly balances the taste of Gazpacho while still evoking the wonderful flavor of a Bloody Mary. It is a winning combination!

Note: This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled as needed.

Bloody Mary Gazpacho

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart low salt, no msg tomato juice
• 5 whole Roma tomatoes, stemmed and seeded, diced
• 2 large celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 hothouse cucumber, seeds removed, finely diced
• 1 whole zucchini diced
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded, minced
• 2 large garlic clove, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 dashes of Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, held out for serving

Optional garnishes:

• Favorite Vodka
• Fresh lime
• 2 ripe Avocado peeled, pitted and cubed

Preparation:

1. In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic and jalepeno with half the red onion, half the bell pepper, half the cucumber, half the tomato, half the zucchini, half the celery, half the tomato juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, Tabasco, and a dash of salt.
2. Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.
3. Pour into a large bowl and combine all of the other ingredients except the optional garnishes. Stir together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, as it needs to be served cold.
4. Remove soup from fridge, and stir in cilantro. Check seasonings to taste one last time. If serving as a soup, ladle into bowls and drizzle with a little olive oil, garnishing with avocado.
5. To serve with vodka, mix 1 cup gazpacho with 1 ounce vodka. Pour into a glass or plastic cup and serve cold with fresh lime wedges and cucumber slices as a garnish.
6. If someone tailgating nearby is having a shrimp boil, hand them a Bloody Mary and ask for shrimp in return! Place one shrimp on the side of the cup, and it will add to the wonderful flavors of this meal to-go.

Plastic spoons are optional