It’s summer, it’s hot, and you feel too lazy to cook. Not to mention, who wants hot food when it’s HOT? This gazpacho is the perfect answer. It gets better with age, and makes a great pick-me-up when you want a snack or you don’t feel like having a full meal.

If you aren’t averse to carbs, pair this with some great sourdough bakery bread. But it’s filling on its own. You really don’t need the bread.

You could use this as a starter for a fish meal, or serve it before the meal at a party while everyone is mingling. You only need one hand to hold a glass, which makes it a lot easier than trying to balance plates and cocktail forks while standing and carrying on a conversation, simultaneously!

Lazy Summer Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 4 large or 6 medium ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 1 light green Italian frying pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• Salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in batches in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend on high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing once or twice to scrape the sides of the blender or bowl with a rubber spatula.

With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will emulsify, turning bright orange or dark pink. If mixture seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.

Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if preferred, with a drizzle of olive oil on top.