Cold Summer Soup

The mercury is rising. The thought of going near the stove is enough to take away your appetite. What's a body to do? How about whipping up a batch of soup? Yes, soup! You may be in the habit of thinking of soups purely as hot and hearty winter fare, but cool, refreshing summer soups are a real life-saver when you can't bear the thought of cooking. The king of the cold soup universe has got to be gazpacho. Invented in Spain, this soup has been around in various incarnations for hundreds of years, appearing as a rough meal eaten by country peasants, as well as a refined appetizer served in pricey restaurants. There are still infinite variations on the gazpacho recipe, but the most well-known version has a base of fresh chopped tomatoes with finely diced bell peppers, onion, garlic and cucumbers mixed in. It's often thickened with bread crumbs, and can be garnished with fresh chopped parsley, tarragon or cilantro, along with extra virgin olive oil, sliced olives, avocado chunks, croutons, or even hard-cooked eggs. Hearty bowls of gazpacho accompanied by a platter of garnishes and some fresh bread make an ideal light meal. Andalusian Gazpacho This is a wonderful recipe for a spicy cold tomato soup. Works great as an appetizer or main dish. It's very refreshing on hot days. Keeps, tightly covered, in the freezer up to 3 months. Recipe yield: 10 servings. INGREDIENTS: • 1 cucumber, peeled and diced • 1 green bell pepper, diced • 5 green onions, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 3 tomatoes, diced • 2 stalks celery, diced • 2 1/2 cups cooked navy beans, rinsed and drained • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil • 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh oregano • 1/4 teaspoon salt DIRECTIONS: 1. In a 4-quart serving bowl or soup tureen, combine cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, navy beans, olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice. Season with cumin, parsley, basil, oregano and salt. Adjust spices and seasonings to taste. Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving cold.