Today I made gazpacho according to a Mark Bittman recipe from this week's New York Times. I often like the idea of gazpacho a great deal more than the reality, but not in this case. Unfortunately, even with the clever options nowadays for making permalinks to articles in the Times, things in the dining section seem to be doomed to linkrot. I would be sad to lose this recipe, so I will paraphrase it here. The basic idea is that with a few small adjustments, fresh salsa + blender = gazpacho. Try it while the vegetables are still in season.

SALSA
2 large ripe tomatoes, or an equivalent amount of smaller tomatoes, chopped
½ large onion, minced fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced very fine
1 t stemmed, seeded and minced fresh hot pepper, or to taste
½ c. chopped cilantro
2 T of lime juice or 1 T of red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning. Let sit for about 15 minutes if you can to let the flavors merge, but serve within an hour or two. Do not refrigerate. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. If possible, let flavors develop for 15 minutes or so, but serve within a couple of hours.

CREAMY GAZPACHO
For two people, make the recipe as above, but substitute parsley or basil for the cilantro, and use the vinegar rather than the lime juice. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and puree. Double the recipe (and the olive oil) for four.

CHUNKY GAZPACHO
Make the creamy gazpacho. In a serving bowl or divided into each individual bowl, place about ½ cup per person of roughly chopped fresh raw vegetables: zucchini, bell peppers, cucumber, corn, what have you. Pour the gazpacho over the vegetables. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil on top, if that suits you.