Gazpacho with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers

It's been a pretty extreme year so far, weather-wise. We had a particularly snowy and icy winter, an epic flood, and a hotter-than-average summer. This past week was especially bad, and many of the schools cancelled afternoon sports practices due to the heat. I lazed around in the air-conditioning and made gazpacho. This gazpacho sort of defeats the point of a no-cook dinner since you roast the tomatoes and the pepper, but it adds such a nice smoky touch that it's worth heating up the house for a little while. It'll cool down in time for you to enjoy a cold dinner, particularly for those nights when it's almost to hot to even eat.

Gazpacho with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers
source: Fat Free Vegan Kitchen 
serves 2 as a main dish

Ingredients

1 pound cherry, grape, or small roma tomatoes
1 small red bell pepper
1/2 large cucumber (or 1 small), peeled
1 clove garlic
1/2 slice day-old bread, crust removed (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/8-1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup cold water

Preparation


Preheat oven to 425F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish lightly with olive oil and place the tomatoes in it in a single layer. Spray a smaller dish, and place the pepper in it. Roast for 15 minutes. Stir the tomatoes, turn the pepper, and roast for 10 more minutes. When tomatoes are wrinkled and have exuded their juice, remove them from the oven to cool. (Larger tomatoes will need more time.) Turn the pepper and continue to roast until the skin has darkened on all sides and is lifting from the pepper. Remove it from the oven and place it in a paper bag or seal it in a storage container until it is cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin, discard the seeds and stem, and cut it in half.

Once the tomatoes are cool, put them in the blender. (Note: If you used larger tomatoes, first remove the core and chop them roughly.) Add half of the bell pepper and half of the cucumber, cut into chunks. Set the remaining bell pepper and cucumber aside. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except ice cubes, and puree until vegetables are finely chopped. Refrigerate until chilled.

When ready to serve, finely chop the remaining bell pepper and cucumber and add it to the gazpacho. Serve in individual bowls or glasses.