Andrea’s Spicy BLT Soup (aka Tomato Gazpacho)

I know. I know. TWO recipes in one week. With the upcoming long weekend I wanted to share this with everyone because it is so great for a group if you increase the quantities. We love cold soup and this one I found in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine that I was going to throw out…yikes! It is incredible!!!!!!!

Andrea Reusing’s Spicy BLT Soup (as found in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine Issue 84)

Comments in red are mine as usual.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds assorted tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used 3 average tomatoes so it would be thicker)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 small cucumber, roughly chopped
• 2 medium Fresno chilies or jalapenos, stemmed and chopped
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
• 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 slice white bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Chopped Egg and Garlic Vinaigrette (see below)
• Croutons, crumbled cooked bacon, and sliced lettuce (We bought some of the Hormel pre-cooked bacon at Costco and I used that slightly re-heated in the microwave for 45 seconds).

Directions

1. Sprinkle tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt; let sit 10 minutes. In a blender, combine tomatoes, cucumber, chilies, onion, garlic, vinegar, bread, oil, and sugar and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids. (For a thicker soup, do NOT sieve it). Cover soup and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours (or up to 3 days). Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a drizzle of vinaigrette and desired toppings.

Chopped Egg and Garlic Vinaigrette

Separate the whites and yolks of 2 hard cooked extra-large eggs. In a small bowl mash the yolks and stir in 1 clove of garlic, mashing into the paste 1 T. finely grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.

Roughly chop the egg whites into the soup before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but as a main course, it really makes two servings for lunch.

Author: reg45

Canadian guy living part time in Progreso, Yucatan. View all posts by reg45