In the winter, there is nothing I love more than a pot of homemade chicken stock simmering away on the stove.  After it’s done some might turn into chicken noodle soup, but the rest gets frozen because in the heat of summer you’d have to beg me to turn on the oven to make soup.  That’s why gazpacho is a summer staple: cool, fresh, and the prep work is all chopping and no cooking.

The benefit of all the hard work in the winter is having homemade stock to use as the base for this recipe.  To that, you add diced tomatoes, onion, peppers, cucumbers, celery, and a little sugar and lemon juice.  For an extra kick, add a dash of  Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces.

I left mine chunky, but you could run it through a blender for a smoother consistency.

I just added the stock frozen, and let it thaw while all the flavors combined.

Gazpacho, via Simply in Season

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups tomatoes, chopped (about 4 large tomatoes)
2 cups broth (recipe suggests beef or veggie, but I used chicken)
1 cup cucumber, seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
several dashes Worcestershire sauce (or more, to taste)
several dashes Tabasco sauce (or more, to taste)

Optional:
green onions, chives, or cucumber slices for garnish
ice (if not using frozen stock)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let flavors mix.