En contra del calor de la chingada

It is friggin' hot in Chi-town.

This is not a complaint. It is an unbiased, context-independent statement.

(After two years in Southern California, I have no leg to stand on when it comes to whining about hot weather. All I'll say is, where one might compare SoCal heat to what could be expected on the inside of an oven, summer in NE IL must equate to parboiling.)

The new tradition at our place, born from the proximity of Mexican produce stores - and a heat-induced lethargy laced with fear of raising our ambient temperature - is to Cuisinart a vat of gazpacho to last us through the hot spell. Since I likes the knives, I gets to chop.

Thus I pass on to you gazpacho gigantesco a la minnesotana:

• cucumber - 1.5 large or 2 medium, peeled/seeded
  
• green pepper - 2 large, seeded
  
• white onion - 2 medium
• parsley - 2/3 cup
• tomato - 4lb, seeded
  
• garlic - 4-5 cloves
• jalapeño chile - 2, seeded
  
• tomato juice (V8) - 2 cups
• red wine vinegar - 1/2 cup
• olive oil - 6 tablespoons
• salt - 4 teaspoons

In the order listed, disassemble and then finely chop the vegetable matter in a Cuisinart or blender, adding the processed result to a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients, sample, and adjust a su gusto. Chill. Serve with chips, guacamole, and either Negra Modelo or Hamms (with lime slice, of course).

Feeds 2...
...for at least 5 days.