Summer Gazpacho

Ingredients
    •    1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled (Persian cucumbers can be substituted)
    •    1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
    •    1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded
    •    4 celery stocks
    •    4 plum tomatoes (heirloom if available)
    •    1 red onion
    •    3 garlic cloves, minced
    •    2 tbsp. of chopped chives
    •    23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
    •    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    •    1/4 cup good olive oil
    •    1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
    •    1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    •    few dashes of Tabasco sauce (to your liking)
Garnish
    •    1 ripe avocado
    •    4-6 per person cooked chilled prawns (or large shrimp)

Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over process!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.
Garnish with avocado and chilled prawns.
serves 4

erin marie hernandez, ids
interior designer
em|designs
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www.emdeznz.com
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