Oppressive Heat and An Abundance of Tomatoes

After tending to my precious patio tomato plants all summer, I harvested my one and only ripe tomato today. I came in from the sweltering heat completely deflated. At first glance, it looked deformed, malnourished and far from beautiful. At second glance, it looked exactly the same. I hesitated to take a bite, and much to my chagrin, it was sweet, juicy and delicious! So came my inspiration for today's post-a recipe for gazpacho. Inspiration comes from many places and for this recipe, it actually came from more than my one little tomato. Actually, I have my colleagues Wendy Jo Peterson, Penny Wilson and Ellie Krieger to thank today. Wendy sent this pictures of her recent harvest which nearly brought me to tears. (I was so jealous) Penny then posted on her Facebook status that in honor of the 100 degree heat (she's in Houston), she made Ellie's recipe for Gazpacho with Shrimp from her book, So Easy. With it being a steamy sweat box here in airless Dallas, this was a perfect combination for my own concoction for my Oppressive Heat Gazpacho recipe. Yes, yes, I had to go to the grocery store to get more tomatoes...but it was no bother, believe me. They blast the AC in the grocery store to the point it feels like the arctic. Nice and refreshing.

Oppressive Heat Gazpacho

1 quart Mr. and Mrs. T's Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Mix (can use any brand of tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix-low sodium version is best)
1/2 white onion, rough chop
1 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and rough chop
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cored and roughly chopped
1 large yellow or orange pepper, seeded, cored and roughly chopped
1 pound tomatoes, rough chop
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt (if using low sodium version of Bloody Mary Mix or Tomato Juice), to taste
1/2 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 avocado for garnish

In a heavy duty blender or food processor, combine 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 of the cucumber, 1/2 of each of the peppers, 1/2 of the tomatoes and 1/2 of the Bloody Mary Mix. Blend until well blended and there are no chunks of vegetables in the soup. Pour into stock pot or very large container for storage. Repeat. Once all vegetables have been blended, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper and salt (if using). Stir very well until combined. For service, pour into bowls and garnish with chopped or whole shrimp and slices or chunks of avocado.

If you want it spicier, add a few drops of hot sauce!

Makes 4 servings.