Mexican Gazpacho makes the perfect dish for warm evenings, topped with crispy tortilla croutons (which are also a great snack on their own).
Mexican Gazpacho
Ingredients
- 24 ounces tomato juice
- 1/2 small green pepper seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 large cucumber peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 small red onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large plum tomato quartered
- 5 each radish tops and bottoms trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup cilantro washed and loosely packed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar (sherry vinegar preferred)
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice zest the lime before juicing and reserve if making optional tortillas croutons*
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Wash and dry the green pepper, cucumber, plum tomato and radishes before cutting.
- Pour the tomato juice in a container that will hold at least 6 cups.
- In a food processor add cut green pepper, cucumber, red onion, tomato, radishes, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and cumin.
- Pulse all the ingredients so you have a corse chop on the veggies — don’t over process.
- Add all the ingredients from the processor into the bowl of tomato juice and stir.
- Cover and chill.
- Optional Soup Toppings: Tortilla Croutons (see below), cooked shrimp or crabmeat
Tortilla Croutons
Ingredients
- 2 each soft flour tortilla
- 1 lime washed, dried and zested
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher or sea
- 1/4 cup oil vegetable or canola
Instructions
- Cut each tortilla in a shape that makes sense for your soup bowl: squares, triangles or strips.
- Combine the lime zest, cumin and salt in a bowl.
- Heat oil in 12-inch frying pan — add cut up tortilla shapes, cook until crisp and remove to paper towel.
- Season the tortilla shapes with the reserved seasoning of lime zest, cumin and salt immediately after removing from the frying pan.
- When cooled, store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Notes
Dara Bunjon talks with award-winning author Monica Saigal (Bhide) about her "Modern Spice" cookbook, "Papa's Butter Chicken" children's book, and more.
It doesn't get much easier than this cucumber and purple cabbage salad from Elite Jakob, perfect for a warm spring day.
Dara Bunjon talks sustainable farming, chocolate, and more with farmer, chef, educator and chocolatier Mark Mills of Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm in Middletown.
Dara Bunjon talks with cook, writer and television host Monti Carlo about her new cookbook, "Spanglish: Recipes & Stories," and more.