Gazpacho Shooters

• Recipe by Joe Vitale

Vitale adds apple cider vinegar to his garlicky, jalapeño-flecked gazpacho as a nod to Napa history. He explains that Napa was planted with apple trees, as well as peach and plum trees, before anyone thought to grow wine grapes.

Ingredients

1. 2 1/2 pounds Brandywine or other flavorful beefsteak tomatoes
2. 1 garlic clove, smashed
3. 1/2 small jalapeño, seeded
4. 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
5. 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
6. 1 large celery rib, finely diced
7. 1/2 medium European cucumber—peeled, seeded and finely diced
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch just until the skins begin to pull away, about 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice water. Drain and peel the tomatoes.
2. Halve the tomatoes crosswise. Squeeze the seeds into a sieve set over a bowl. Press on the seeds to extract the juice; discard the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks. In a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes with 1/2 cup of the strained juice. Add the garlic, jalapeño, vinegar and half each of the diced red onion, celery and cucumber and process until smooth. Transfer the gazpacho to a bowl. Stir in the remaining diced red onion, celery and cucumber and season with salt and pepper. Pour into small glasses, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Make Ahead

The gazpacho can be refrigerated overnight.

Notes

One Serving 22 Calories, 1 gm Total Fat, 0.2 gm Saturated Fat, 3 gm Carbohydrate, 0.5 gm Fiber.