MasterChef Junior Season 5 contestant Avani Shah dazzled the crowd at Kids Eat Chicago when she created her yummy Gazpacho so she is sharing her recipe.
Ingredients
1 English cucumber, seeded and peeled
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2 pounds red tomatoes
1/2 shallot
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Sea salt
Black pepper
Sourdough bread
1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
Chives
4 Tbsp. basil infused olive oil
The soup
Chop half the cucumber, half the bell pepper and all the tomatoes and add them to a large bowl.
Finely chop the shallot and garlic and add to the bowl.
Add the vinegar and 3 Tablespoons of the basil infused olive oil to a blender along with the contents of the bowl. Purée on medium until smooth.
Strain through a coarse sieve into a large pitcher and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in refrigerator until cool.
The garnishes
Carefully chop the rest of the cucumbers and bell peppers into small pieces.
Brush a slice of sourdough bread with olive oil and raw garlic. Toast until crunchy and dice into small croutons.
Cut the chives into 1/4 inch pieces
Instructions for plating
Pour the soup into a bowl.
Carefully add the nicely chopped cucumbers, bell peppers and croutons across the top of the bowl.
Sprinkle pumpkin seeds for texture (I like to toast mine with a little cayenne, too!)
Drizzle olive oil to taste
Enjoy!
