Recipe: Green Gazpacho

Green Gazpacho

Yield: 4 to 5 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus time to chill.
(Keeps well for days if tightly covered and refrigerated.)

Showcase those underipe tomatoes in this delicious, gloriously colred Mexican variation on a Spanish theme.

If you can't find green tomatoes, use the least ripe ones available.

3 green tomatoes (3-inch diameter),
   cored and chopped
1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium (7-inch) cucumber,
   peeled, seeded, and chopped
A handful of parsley
A handful of cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
   (about 2 juicy limes'-worth)
1 medium (4-inch) avocado,
   peeled, pitted, and diced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 to 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey or sugar
1 cup cold water
Black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Optional: tortilla chips, for the top

1. Combine everything in a large bowl, and mix as well as possible.

2. Purée the soup bit by bit in a blender or food processor, until reasonably smooth (it doesn't have to be perfect). Transfer to a container with a lid, and chill until very cold.

3. Serve plain or topped with tortilla chips.

Buy the Book: The New Moosewood Cookbook

Buy the Book: The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest

The New Moosewood Cookbook
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press, January 2000
256 pages, 16-page color insert
Paperback, $19.95
ISBN: 1-58008-130-4
Cloth, $27.95
ISBN: 1-58008-135-5
Recipe reprinted by permission.

The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press, January 2000
320 pages, 16-page color insert
Paperback, $19.95
ISBN: 1-58008-126-6
Cloth, $27.95
ISBN: 1-58008-136-3
Recipe reprinted by permission.