Grilled Tomato Gazpacho

Serves: 6, about 1 cup serving size

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of tomatoes
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, divided
• 1/2 cup torn fresh or day-old country bread (crusts removed)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon piment d’Espelette (see Cooking Tip) or hot Spanish paprika or pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Grill tomatoes and bell pepper, turning a few times, until they soften and the skins are blistered and charred in spots, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the pepper to a plastic bag and let it steam until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin; cut the pepper in half and discard the stem and seeds. Place one half in a blender.
4. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, core and roughly chop. Add the tomatoes, skins and all, to the blender.
5. Add half the cucumber to the blender along with bread, garlic, vinegar to taste, parsley, piment d’Espelette (or paprika or cayenne), salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
6. Add oil and blend until well combined. Refrigerate until room temperature or chilled, at least 1 hour.
7. Before serving, finely dice the remaining cucumber and bell pepper; stir half of each into the gazpacho and garnish with the remaining cucumber and bell pepper.

Cooking Tips:

• Piment d’Espelette is a sweet, mildly spicy pepper, from the French side of the Basque region, ground into powder.
• To Make Ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Stir to recombine and garnish just before serving.

© 2012 Eating Well Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.