Summer is officially here! Tomatoes are in abundance at the farmers market and how can we not take advantage? Personally, I avoid tomatoes in the winter months. They just never taste like the fresh tomatoes of August and September. I really scored today by getting some beautiful MarGene Farms organic heirloom tomatoes from Gene and Maryann. What to do with them? Well… I love gazpacho, and I have a surplus of cucumbers coming out of my own small garden so this seemed to be a easy decision.

Roasted Heirloom Gazpacho

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 5 pounds Heirloom Tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 4 medium cucumbers with skin, chopped
• 2 sweet Bell or Frying Peppers, chopped
• ½ Jalapeno Pepper, chopped
• ¼ White Onion, chopped
• ¼ cup Cilantro
• Red wine vinegar
• Sea Salt and Ground Pepper, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 475°F.
2. Toss tomatoes and garlic in olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet.
3. Roast tomatoes 20-30 minutes until they begin to brown, remove from oven and cool to room temp.
4. Process all the vegetable ingredients in batches in a food processor or blender, including juices that have cooked off tomatoes.
5. Combine in a large bowl and add vinegar, salt, and pepper.
6. Completely chill the soup for at least 4 hours.
7. Serve in bowls, garnish with olive oil, cilantro, and chopped cucumber.

Notes

Roasting the tomatoes brings out a sweet richness in this cold soup and also brings out the antioxidant lycopene. Give this pumped up classic a try, it’s great for a hot summer supper.