Summer has arrived in New York and it's only May!
Crazily early summer weather calls for summer food like gazpacho - when it's hot and muggy like this I just can't do hot food, and neither can my tiny kitchen, having the oven on raises the temperature from hot to totally unbearable.
A few years ago I spent a summer in Valencia, Spain and developed an addiction to gazpacho, it was available everywhere and was perfect for a refreshing lunch in the heat of the day.
Being a vegetarian I'm always looking for ways to add extra protein to my meals, and I've found a way here. Traditional recipes call for adding bread to the base, but given that I'm likely to eat this soup with bread, I'm reluctant to do that. Instead I've added cooked white beans, it adds the same substance as bread but with a different flavor dimension and, of course, lots of extra protein.
I've also added extra vegetables to the base (traditionally I think you're just supposed to add them as a topping), I think it makes the soup itself much more interesting.
Recipe note: This is best made in a food processor - it's the quickest and easiest way. If you don't have one, just be sure to chop all the vegetables very finely.
Also, this works really well made ahead of time and left to chill in the fridge to let the flavors develop. —cooklynveg
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