This soup's cold!

Do you ever crave tomatoes? Maybe it's the lycopene......vitamin A....eating something red. This crave usually comes with warm weather for me.

And while I realize it's still far from tomato season, easy-to-find grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes will offer that same taste-of-summer-sensation. They are perfectly plump, juicy, and containing all that tomatoey goodness that you can only find in August and September in New England.

I had this gazpacho last week while lunching in Miami and it was divine. As an alternative to a salad-that I know I can do to death, allow me to recommend::



G A Z P A C H O, the pureed version.

4 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
8 ounces cucumber (1 cucumber), peeled and cut into chunks
3 ounces green pepper, in large pieces
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic and sherry vinegar and blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. Taste for acidity; this will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes. If it's not balanced enough, add a little more vinegar. Add the olive oil, season with salt, and blend again. Strain the gazpacho into a pitcher and refrigerate for at least half an hour - this is essential!!