Ina Garten's Gazpacho

Truth: I've eaten gazpacho six times (I've cooked it three of those six) and I don't really like it. I don't know why, exactly. I love a good Bloody Mary. I like tomato soup. I adore salad. And if you think about it, gazpacho is sort of all three of those things in one. If those things float my boat separately, why do I taste them together and think, meh?

I've just joined Barefoot Bloggers and, by doing so, have committed myself to cooking two Ina Garten recipes a month. While I'm excited to be part of a group of fantastic cooks and bloggers, I'm less than thrilled that gazpacho is my first assignment. But I'm game.

The Good News: Mother Nature cooked up a perfect day for cold soup. It's been rainy this summer, but suddenly Colorado decided to wake up and start steamin', and she means business! I was pleased because cold weather+cold soup=wrong.

Here's Ina's Recipe:

A few things about the recipe:

-it seemed kind of fussy to individually chop each vegetable and whiz it in the food processor? I mean, it's all coming together in the end anyways, right? But I did it like Ina told me to. Have no idea if it made a difference.

-I also followed Ina's instruction not to over-process the vegetables, but to be honest, I didn't like the little bits of texture in there. I sort of think a soup should be either rustically chunky or luxuriously smooth, and this was neither. I don't like soup with a commitment problem.

-To chill or not to chill the serving bowls? I didn't. Don't know if it mattered.

Again, alas, my reaction is...meh. I think it's a texture issue for me. I felt like I was, to be honest, eating a bowl of salsa. And if I want to eat a bowl of salsa, it's a helluva lot easier to just open a jar and add a spoon.

The flavor was okay--I might add some fresh herbs or even some crushed red pepper next time. If there's a next time, because I think I'm not a gazpacho girl. Just sayin'.