Gazpacho

A Summertime favorite of mine. It just gets too hot to stand over a stove or grill here in "Dixieland." This recipe requires no heat. I get bored with salads, so this one will give me my veggie fix and cool me down at the same time. As always, this recipe is very flexible - adjust seasonings to your tastes. Just about any vegetable that can be served raw would work in this recipe. I know the honey sounds like a strange addition, but it helps mellow out all the acidity in the tomato.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice or 1 (46 ounce) can  vegetable juice
• 5  ripe tomatoes (peeled and de-seeded)
• 1  medium cucumber (peeled and de-seeded_)
• 1  small bell pepper
• 1  large onion
• 1  jalapeno pepper (de-seeded) (optional)
• 2  celery ribs
• 1  tablespoon garlic (chopped or minced)
• 1⁄4 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)
• 1  limes, juice of or 1  lemon, juice of
• 1  dash Worcestershire sauce
•  salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1  teaspoon dried basil
• 1  tablespoon honey

Directions

1. Pour the tomato juice into a large bowl.
2. Chop the vegetables medium to fine dice and add to juice.
3. Add the garlic, parsley, citrus juice and all other seasonings -- stir, cover, refrigerate and let stand for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) so that the flavors and seasonings can "meld together." Serve chilled.
4. There are lots of other seasonings and spices you can add to this recipe. Experiment with it to see what suits your fancy. I sometimes add some ground cumin, cayenne pepper,hot pepper sauce, Spike or oregano.