Hmm when the weather and fresh ingredients call for gazpacho, I find both bread and seafood unnecessarily heavy. Tend to think of it as salsa in soup form. I'm looking for sprightly, refreshing.

Thus, I'd definitely add a bit of cilantro (if your family likes it) in addition to parsley. Consider using balsamic instead of/in combination with red wine vinegar (to my taste, a touch of sweet without actual sugar.) I'd forego the canned tomato juice in favor of a fresher taste. Minimize salt and oil to taste.

Skinning the tomatoes would yield a jucier gazpacho, but a heck of a lot of work on a humid day. I'd rather you spend that time smashing fresh garlic. (makes it easy to peel; you could put it all in the blender portion.)

By all means serve with some toasted country sourdough bread for a contrast in texture. I just wouldn't want the bread to be soggy.

Spanish friends might balk at my less-than-tradional take, but I cook for my palate, not posterity. That's how I do it.

Ana

Thanks for the tips. I am a big balsamic vinegar fan as well. Perhaps 1/2 and 1/2 next time would be interesting.

I do tend to lazy out on the jarred garlic and I agree that fresh is so much superior - great idea to toss all in with the blender portion - that will make things easier.

I like the idea of cilantro - I just didn't want it to taste too much like salsa. I wasn't all that excited about the parsley either, but perhaps I will try another variety than the regular flat leaf.

Anyone else? Anyone making cold soups this summer?

Being married to a Spaniard, this is a summer staple in our fridge. Not many ingredients, which makes it both easier to make and extra refreshing (I think). Our recipe changes a bit here and a bit there, but always consists of the following:

Fresh, garden-ripe tomatoes (skin on...I'm too lazy)--6ish
Fresh cucumbers, peeled--2ish
Vidalia onions--one
Garlic to taste--we use 3-4 cloves. Sometimes more if we want it to have a little more "bite"
Red wine vinegar--not too much, maybe a quarter cup or even less?
EV olive oil--quarter- to half-cup or thereabouts
Salt to taste--I fresh grind sea salt and toss it in

Blend, blend, blend, blend. When it's all nice and soupy, we add a good hunk of crusty bread that we have soaked in water and then wrung out. Chunk it up, chuck it into the blender, and blend it in with the rest.

Hubby likes his chunky so I hard boil some eggs, chop some extra cucumbers and onions, and cube some good bread, all of which he throws in just before we eat. I like mine nice and smoooooth. No extras for me, thanks!

My MIL sometimes adds a touch of paprika if the tomatoes aren't super red. This gives her gazpacho that nice orangey-red color. I normally don't do it but mostly because, again, I'm just too lazy. :)