Haven't made an empanada yet....but I did make some great Gazpacho!

I know, I know....Its a blog about empandas and the first thing I am writing about is chilled soup.  Well, I decided to set up this blog before I got my butt in gear to make my first set of empanadas.  I did however make a wonderful summer gazpacho yesterday.  One thing you will learn about me as this blog goes on, is that one of the reasons I love cooking so much, is that you can make anything and everything your own.  I try not to follow recipes and just go with the flow!

After spending the summer in NC for an internship, I am now back in DC and so thrilled to be able to use my kitchen again. This time last year I was living it up in southern España on vacation.  One of my favorite summer dishes, which I think I had at least once a day, was Gazpacho.  There is something wonderfully refreshing about this chilled soup.  By the end of my three weeks there I was drinking it like juice!  Anyway, it has been very very hot here in DC, and unfortunately I only have limited access to a pool.  So I thought, what better way to cool off than with a bowl of fresh Gazpacho? 

Lucky for me, I live just a few minutes away from a fabulous Whole Foods.  I set off to my favorite store in the city sans marketing list.  There is really something liberating about going to the market knowing the recipe you want to make, but not having a list.  I started by making my first loop around the produce sections to check out what was available.  I then found myself with some major decisions to make.  What type of tomatoes to I buy????  With so many wonderful options surrounding me, I thought, why choose?  I ended up buying four types of tomatoes. Next I made my way over to the peppers.  I knew I was going to get some traditional red bell peppers, but when I saw them, I decided I just had to roast them.  I picked up a couple of red peppers, and then to bring in some more fresh pepper taste I picked up a couple of yellow peppers. I then grabbed the most refreshing ingredient of all, cucumbers.  Lastly, I grabbed my flavor bursting ingredients, cilantro, onion, garlic, and parsley.  Before I hit the counter I grabbed a french baguette (the secret to thickening the soup).

I purchased all of my wonderful groceries, got on my bike and headed home.  Because this was sort of a last minute decision, I had to toast my baguette rather than using stale bread.  I cut off the crust, which I set aside to make croutons as garnish, and toasted the bread for just a few minutes with some Spanish olive oil I had brought back last year.  I then roughly chopped all of the produce purchased and mixed them all in a large bowl.  After soaking the toasted bread in a little bit of water and tomato juice, I mixed the bread pieces in with the veggies.  Because I was making so much gazpacho, I had to blend all of the ingredients in batches.   Once I ran everything through the blender a few times, I had a nice thick, well textured soup.  It wasn't done yet..... I still had to add the seasonings!  After adding in a little more olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and a touch of cayenne, the Gazpacho was done!

I let my vat of soup sit in the fridge overnight.  When I woke up this morning I felt like a kid on Christmas morning excited to open my stocking.  I quickly jumped out of bed and made my way to the fridge.  Tasted my masterpiece, and have to say it was just that.  I have had a hard time controlling myself today and not consuming all that I have made.  I managed to make it through most of the day and am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of some friends so we can all enjoy the Gazpacho together.  right now I am just trying to think of what I can garnish it with.  I am thinking avocado, greek yogurt, croutons and perhaps if I'm feeling sassy, a little grilled shrimp.

Next time, I promise a new empanada recipe.....