Gazpacho Shooters

 These Gazpacho Shooters bring back memories of a glorious childhood.  Served as appetizers, these mini soups make an elegant, cool addition to summer menu!

Years ago, my mom introduced us to a cold tomato soup garnished with homemade croutons and diced vegetables. My sisters and I fell hard for her GazpachoRecipe with all the toppings.

Gazpacho Shooters

From about the age of 10 on, my family would pile in our Plymouth Satellite station wagon (in the days before seatbelts!) and drive across Iowa, Nebraska and half of Colorado to the sleepy ski town of Aspen. The jet-setters were gone and mainly locals wandered the streets. We hiked, picnicked, listened to practices at the world-renowned music tent, and dined at some of the tony restaurants for lunch. Each day we had another adventure.

Aspen was where my mom had her first taste of gazpacho and then hit the Pitkin County library for a recipe to recreate it in our condo. It was those buttery homemade croutons that reeled me in, such a divine garnish along with chopped bell peppers, cucumbers, and onions. Perfect as a summer appetizer, these Gazpacho Shooters are a refreshing mini version of my favorite summer soup.

What is Gazpacho?

If you haven’t had or heard of gazpacho before, it’s a cold Spanish soup. As with most recipes, there are a zillion variations, but a classic gazpacho recipe comes from the Andalusia region in the southern part of Spain. According to the Food Lover’s Companion,  “This uncooked soup is usually made from a pureed mixture of fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, onions, celery, cucumber, breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and sometimes lemon juice.”

Summer Soup

I love nostalgic summer recipes. So many delicious treats remind me of those idyllic childhood days. We always had a garden and I remember eating radishes still warm from the rich Iowa soil. A cup or bowl of gazpacho is a terrific soup for a sultry summer day.

Classic Rhubarb Pie and fresh sweet corn were a given. Plus, my mom would always make a big batch of this gazpacho with all the trimmings. Nowadays, it would be a big, healthy summer salad, like this scrumptious Summer Caprese Salad, that I’d want to repeat numerous times each summer. What’s your favorite summer food memory?? 

 More Soup Recipes You’ll Love:

• Peach Lemongrass Soup with Creme Fraiche from Boulder Locavore
• Chilled Corn and Crab Soup from Foodie Crush
• Bacon Corn Chowder
• Beef Mushroom Soup with Barley
• Classic Gazpacho with Homemade Croutons
• Homemade Beef Barley Soup

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Gazpacho Shooters

A mini version of my favorite summer soup.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Yield 15 appetizer sized servings

Ingredients

• 1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato or V-8 juice
• 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Tabasco or favorite hot sauce, to taste
• Red bell pepper, cucumber, onion, avocado diced, to garnish
• Homemade croutons, to garnish*
• Fresh Italian parsley or cilantro, to garnish

Instructions

1. Place tomatoes, tomato juice cucumber, onion, green pepper, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, and olive oil in a blender and puree. Taste, then season with another teaspoon of vinegar, salt, pepper and Tabasco if desired.
2. Pour into small glasses (I used 2-ounce capacity glasses) and garnish with diced vegetables, croutons, and a small herb leaf to serve.
3. *To make homemade croutons, cut slices of a sturdy loaf into small cubes. Heat equal parts olive oil and butter in a saute pan and add bread. Cook till all sides are lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Cool before garnishing soup.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

Small shooter glass
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 43Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 98mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g

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