Gazpacho Shooters

I've always enjoyed the idea of a gazpacho because really it's like salad in the form of a soup. Although a traditional gazpacho is thickened with white bread, I personally have never made it that way and I feel it adds unnecessary calories without flavor. Seeing as we recently had a lot of tomatoes in our kitchen and my brother just had his wisdom teeth removed, I thought to make this soup for him.

In the past I have made this soup using chicken stock and then refrigerating it however this time I decided to make a completely "raw" version because my brother is trying to more of a raw food diet these days. What this means is that he tries to eat with the majority of his diet consisting of uncooked, unprocessed, and mostly organic foods. So rather than cook some chicken stock and use it as the base of my soup, I blanched a lot of tomatoes, peeled their skins, and then blended them up. The rest of the ingredients I pulsed a few times in the food processor, just until they were very small pieces but still a little chunky, and then added to my tomato juice. I seasoned the soup and then let the flavors meld together for a couple of hours in the fridge.

I have to say that personally I really enjoyed this new version of gazpacho that I made. In general I love the pure taste of tomatoes and because it made up the base of the soup I thought it was heavenly. I also realized that this soup would make a cute little appetizer for a summer barbeque if served in a shot glass. It has a nice acidic note which comes from the red wine vinegar, as well as a little bit of a zesty punch from the red onion and garlic. Best of all, the seasonings and mix-ins can be adjusted to anyone's taste. As for my brother, he loved the flavor but I ended up having to blend his soup even more to give it a puree consistency because it was too difficult for him to eat the small chunks so soon after his surgery.

Gazpacho Shooters

• 10 large tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium-sized English cucumber
• 1/4-1/2 red onion 
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: red chili flakes

1. Score an X on the bottom of each tomato and set aside. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, lower each tomato into the water so that it is completely submerged and keep it there for about 30 seconds, or until the skin on the bottom starts to curl up.
3. Remove the tomatoes from the water and set aside to cool for 1-2 minutes before gently peeling the skins off. Quarter the tomatoes and puree, including the pulp, until it becomes homogenous and a juice consistency.
4. Meanwhile, roughly chop the remaining vegetables and then put into the food processor. Pulse a few times until the vegetables are all roughly the same size and small pieces, but still chunky.
5. Add the chopped vegetables to the tomato juice and then add the red wine vinegar and chili flakes, if using. Season with some salt and pepper and then cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Don't add too much because it will further develop flavor while it is in the fridge.
6. Prior to serving, taste to see if any further vinegar or salt and pepper is needed.