Time to start planning for your Fourth of July BBQ! You’ll have a surefire hit with this grilled and chilled starter or side.
Grilled Gazpacho
Ingredients:
- 10 assorted tomatoes (red, yellow, and green)
- 1 zucchini, sliced into thick ribbons
- 2 peppers (1 yellow, 1 green) cut in half
- 2 ears of corn
- 1 jalapeno, cut in half
- 1 cup sodium free tomato soup
- 1/4 cup assorted herbs (I like chives, parsley, and tarragon for this soup.)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 5-10 large cucumbers to make into “cups”
Directions:
1. Cut all vegetables (except cucumbers) in half lengthwise. Core and seed them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let “dry soak” while you prepare the grill.
2. Heat grill and oil the grates to prevent the vegetables from sticking to it. Arrange the vegetables and grill over medium heat, flipping every minute until charred on all sides.
3. Remove the vegetables from the grill. Let cool and remove as much of the blackened skin as you wish. (The more of the blackened skin you leave on, the more “grilled” it will taste.)
4. Combine grilled vegetables in blender or food processor. Blend while adding tomato soup in small increments until desired consistancy is reached.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. For cucumber cups, peel all the large cucumbers. Cut in half width-wise and hollow out, while leaving a layer on the bottom of each. Cut the bottom side to make it flat so it stands up by itself.
7. Serve chilled soup in cucumber cups and top with a pinch of chopped herbs.
Nutritional information: 1 cucumber cup with gazpacho has 105 calories, 1.2 g fat, and 2.7 g protein.
Recipe and photos by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.
