Cold Cucumber Soup

My Aunt Patty used to make this for us to eat for lunch with sandwiches, in the summers when I was 11 to 15 my brother and I would travel to West Virginia to work on my aunt patty and uncle Ed’s cattle ranch. My aunt Patty’s cooking is some of the best I have ever eaten. I loved this soup and wanted to include it for all to try. You can still make this in the winter. There's nothing like a cup of icy cold gazpacho for a perfectly refreshing summer lunch on a blistering hot day. Flavorful tomatoes are key here--don't attempt this recipe with unripe tomatoes. If you can not get fresh ripe tomatoes use the best san marzano canned tomatoes.

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped, more for garnish

1 jalapeño pepper seeded and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped

1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 to 2 small cans V-8 vegetable juice

Salt to taste

Put tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, jalapeño, red bell peppers, and onions into a large bowl and toss to combine. Working in batches, pulse vegetables in a blender or food processor until uniform, adding a little water if mixture seems too thick. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in juice and salt. Cover and chill well before serving. Garnish with chopped cucumber and homemade garlic croutons if desired.

Serves 6 to 8