Green Chile Gazpacho

Recipe created by Chef Jon Young, Taste the Tradition Chef Ambassador, for LocalFoodConnectsNM Month

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of vine-ripened tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped)

1 cup tomato juice (from the tomatoes you will be boiling)

1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeded, and chopped)

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

1/2 chopped red onion

1/2 green chile, chopped

1 medium garlic clove (minced)

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (cut in long, thin strips)

Instructions 

Poach tomatoes

1. Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Make an “X” with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes.
3. Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute.
4. Remove and pat dry.
5. Peel, core, and seed the tomatoes.  When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Make gazpacho

1. Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, green chile, garlic clove, olive oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
2. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15-20 seconds on high speed.
3. Return pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up overnight. Serve with a chiffonade of basil and avocado.

Photo by Mark Chamberlain.