I’ll never understand people who whine about their garden producing “too many tomatoes.” Fresh tomatoes are such flavor bombs and are so versatile that there’s really no end of different ways to use them.

Yet last weekend, I came close to the brink of tomato overdose when–in addition to pulling another tomato haul off the vine–I impulse-purchased a twenty-pound box of tomatoes at the farmers market. Let me repeat that: a twenty-pound box of tomatoes. Because they were “scratch-and-dent,” (i.e., slightly damaged), the box was going for twenty dollars– only a dollar a pound. I mean really, how could I not buy them?

Of course, the low, low price did nothing toward helping me figure out what to do with all of the tomatoes that then occupied my kitchen counter. My housemates and I ate endless caprese salads. I canned pasta sauce. (More on that project later.) I roasted tomatoes for paste. I ate them for snacks, leaning over the sink, tomato juice dripping down my arm.

But the sleeper hit of the tomato extravaganza was this gazpacho. Growing up in the West, where summer days are warm but nights are cool and breezy, I never really understood the appeal of cold soup. But in the South, where the thermometer stays in the 80s well into the evening and the air feels like a hot, wet blanket– well, gazpacho is just the thing. It’s ice cold. The tomato flavor is extraordinarily pure. And, miracle of miracles, you don’t have to turn on the stove or the oven to serve this for dinner: just throw the ingredients in a blender and press start.

There’s tomato season, and there’s waiting for tomato season. Enjoy it while it lasts.

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Previously:
One year ago: Ratatouille
Two years ago: Mango Chia Smoothie

And for my Australians:
Six months ago: Umami Bomb Mushroom Soup + How to Make Your Veg Taste Better
One and a half years ago: Kale Salad with Farro, Parmesan, Pine Nuts, and Dried Fruit

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Bumper Crop Gazpacho

Adapted only slightly from the New York Times
Serves 7-8 as a starter or 5-6 as a summer lunch-sized meal

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds (1.6 kg) ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 long cucumber (such as an English cucumber), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 large red onion, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup (177mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (see notes, below)

Instructions

Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (I had to do this in two batches, even in my very big blender.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes.

With the motor running, add the vinegar and salt. Then, slowly drizzle in the olive oil–this helps it emulsify. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and shiny, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.

Now you have a choice: you can either strain the gazpacho or leave it as-is. I preferred the slightly thicker texture of the gazpacho when it isn’t strained, but feel free to sample it both ways and decide what you like better.

If you want to strain: pour the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula. Discard the solids.

Whether you strained or not: chill the gazpacho until very cold.

To serve: whisk the soup back up to refresh. If you’re serving as a starter, serve in glasses; as a meal, serve in bowls. Either way, finish with a small drizzle of olive oil on top.

Notes

On the olive oil: Yes, this recipe calls for a lot of olive oil. But it’s the high quantity of olive oil that differentiates light, smooth, wonderful gazpacho from watery, thin, crummy gazpacho.

Leftovers: Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4ish days.