I love cold soup in the summertime and gazpacho is my favorite. The cucumber and tomatoes with herbs are so refreshing on an evening. This recipe came to me one day when I was at brunch and had a non-alcoholic bloody mary and a bowl of gazpacho and thought the two worked remarkably well together.

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, medium dice
• 2 tomatoes, rough chop
• 1/2 onion, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, fire roasted, peeled and small diced
• 2 stalks celery, medium dice
• 1/4 cup fresh grated horseradish or prepared horseradish
• 2 cups low sodium tomato juice
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup stale baguette
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 – 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• Celery salt
• (if you want a version with alcohol add ½ cup vodka)

Method

Season all vegetables liberally with salt and pepper and let sit for an hour. Combine tomato juice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, Sherry vinegar, horseradish and baguette in a blender and puree until smooth. Evacuate to a large mixing bowl and add cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery, mix thoroughly and season to taste. Let sit in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve garnished with fresh cracked black pepper, celery salt and splashed with a shot of vodka.