Recipe: Favorite Gazpacho

Adapted from The Victory Garden Cookbook

• 4 to 8 large ripe tomatoes
• 2–4 cucumbers
• 1 large green pepper
• 10–12 scallions, sliced thin or 3/4 cup chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia
• 1–2 cloves of garlic
• Salt
• 1/4 cup good quality red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup good quality olive oil
• 2–3 cups tomato juice
• 1 and 1/2 cups beef broth or water (optional)
• Hot pepper sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly ground pepper

Peel, seed and chop into 1/4-inch dice the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and onion. In a mortar, mash garlic and 1 teaspoon salt into a paste. Beat in the vinegar and oil. Combine this dressing with the chopped vegetables and stir in the tomato juice. Add broth or water to thin the mixture if desired. (I rarely add this; I like the undiluted taste of the vegetable salad.) Season with the hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4–6.

Chill until very cold. Serve with homemade croutons if desired or additional chopped vegetables as a garnish. Serves 4–6. Can be doubled.

For a Chesapeake Bay Gazpacho, add 1/2 lb. fresh-picked crabmeat.