Foolproof Gazpacho

I was recently reminded by a friend that given the name of my blog I should consider adding more recipes! When I began this a few weeks ago I intended to make it all about cooking, which other than photography is my true passion but alas all the work I've been scheduled for has gotten in the way. I guess I have not included much about myself, as it turns out I am originally from Ohio (Cincinnati) but moved to NYC after completing an art and lit degree from Miami University. I finished my masters in education from Pace and taught a group of wonderful Autistic students in Brooklyn for three years. I moved to Charleston a year ago (this past weekend) to attend law school. This summer I am working for a wonderful organization called Darkness to Light that educates adults so that child sexual abuse can be prevented. But enough about me, here is one of my favorite summer recipes-hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients:

4 or so lbs of field ripened tomatoes  1 quart of quality tomato juice  (I use Looza brand) 2 firm, fresh cucumbers 2 firm, fresh green bell peppers (you could use red or yellow) 2 smallish fresh red or white onions 3 or 4 handfuls of fresh herb (parsley, basil or oregano) 1/2 cup of quality red wine vinegar (not balsamic!) 1/4 cup of quality olive oil (or more to taste) 3 cloves of garlic (or more, but be careful) 3 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste) fresh ground black pepper cayenne pepper sauce (optional) OR minced jalapeno (optional)

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1. Open an ice cold beer or pour yourself a glass of chilled white wine.
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil and place a colander in your kitchen sink.
3. Wash the tomatoes and cut a small "x" at the stem and stern of each tomato.
4. Peel the cucumbers, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and chop them into large chunks.
5. Peel and core the bell peppers and chop then into large chunks.
6. Peel the papery skin and first layer of flesh off of the onions and quarter them.
7. Flatten the garlic with the blade of your knife, remove the peel and mince. Set aside in a small bowl.
8. Finely chop the herbs and set aside in a small bowl.
9. Pour the vinegar into a measuring cup.
10. By now, the water should be at a nice boil. Set your kitchen timer for 2 minutes, and place all of the tomatoes into the boiling water. After the timer beeps, remove the tomatoes to the colander in the sink. They will need to cool there for at least 10 minutes before you peel and seed them.
11. I assume you have a food processor, if not, manual chopping would be better than a blender. Place the cucumbers in the processor and pulse until each piece is somewhere between the size of aquarium gravel and sawdust - do NOT puree. Place the cucumbers in a large glass mixing bowl. Repeat the process with the bell peppers and then the onions.
12. Pour in 2/3 of the bottle of tomato juice and mix well with a wisk or slotted spoon. Add the vinegar and then follow with the olive oil. Add the herbs and stir them in as well.
13. Return to the tomatoes in the sink. Have another large bowl at the ready. Peel each tomato using your fingers, break them apart, scoop out the seeds and remove any tough white bits. Put the remaining flesh and pulp into the large bowl. Repeat with each tomato.
14. Process the tomatoes until finely chopped, but not pureed. 5 to 6 one second pulses should work. Add the tomatoes to the large mixing bowl.
15. Add half of the garlic and stir well. Taste the gazpacho. If you can taste garlic then don't add any more. I love garlic, but the flavor intensifies every day the gazpacho is stored, so be forewarned. Treat the salt, black pepper,  and hot pepper just as cautiously. You can always add more at the table.
16. Add additional tomato juice to achieve the desired consistency. You probably won't use the entire quart. Make Bloody Mary's with what's left over.
17. Refrigerate the gazpacho for at least two hours. I usually transfer it to a plastic pitcher so we can just pour a bowl whenever we like.
18. Serve with garlic toast and olive oil at the table.

Enjoy!