Despite the falling temperatures our garden is still gifting us plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers. So, when I'm not finding myself cooking up something hearty and autumn-ish, it's back to summer staples! I think this recipe came from one of the more recent Martha Stewart magazines. It came together quickly with a minimal number of ingredients, all of which were in the garden or the pantry.
Tomatoes, cukes, a chunk of bell pepper, soaked bread, olive oil and some salt and pepper, I think that was it! I toasted some thin slices of bread torn up and tossed with olive oil, Italian herbs and sea salt. I love homemade croutons; they make anything feel a little extra special. We make extra and toss them on soups and salads and wherever else we can sneak them in.
What I loved about this soup was how creamy and rich it turned out. There's no dairy, I think it's just the addition of the bread and olive oil that give it this smooth, creamy consistency. And you just can't beat fresh tomatoes out of the garden, there's simply no point in making gazpacho if you have to get the tomatoes in the store. The earthy and delicate flavors of this soup was particularly savored because we knew it would be one of the very last of the season.
PS Due to some crazy early snow, Clay just pulled up our tomato plants and hung them in the garage (my parents used to do this to save them from frost and let them ripen a tiny bit more). I'm now looking for some good recipes for green tomatoes...
