Golden Gazpacho

Maybe it's the salmonella scare (how's that for a recipe intro...makes your taste buds tingle, don't it?), but my neighborhood grocery store had a pile of orange and yellow tomatoes this week. It was a surprise for this store, and they were cheap too. Here's some now:

Gazpacho, everyone's favorite cold-served tomato soup, was my first thought for these tomatoes. The soup features cucumber and flecks of cilantro from my garden...did I mention I have a garden? This is perfect food for days when it's too hot to cook, and nothing is easier than opening the refrigerator door and pouring a bowl of chilled, sparkling soup.

Golden Gazpacho

3 cups coarsely chopped yellow tomatoes

1 medium cucumber, peeled

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1 tsp. salt
Cilantro for garnish

1. Prepare the vegetables - reserve about 1/2 cup of cucumbers, diced at a quarter inch or so. Place all other tomatoes, cucumber, and garlic in blender or food processor, and puree. I like to leave some texture, so you don't need to turn this soup into a glass of V8. But do what you please.

2. Add vinegar, lemon or lime juice, and cilantro, and pulse blender until those ingredients are well combined. Add just a little salt to taste - the flavors here aren't mellowed by cooking at all, so I don't think much salt is terribly necessary.

3. Add remaining cucumbers - I do this to add some crunchy bits to the soup. Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Serve cold, even with an ice cube if you like.