Kimchi Gazpacho - A summer delight

Delicious and refreshing on a hot day, Gazpacho is the classic cold summer soup. Easy to prepare and doesn't use the stove or the oven, just a little time chopping and into the blender or food processor. Make sure that you make it 3 or 4 hours before you plan to serve it so that it has plenty of time to get good and cold in the fridge. Best served same day (or the tomatoes will start to ferment). Kimchi adds a delightful flavour kick to this quintessential dish from southern Spain.

Serve with crusty bread and barbequed skewers. Or stir in some chooped cooked prawns.

Be sure to choose nice ripe tomatoes, choose based on most flavourful since they will be the star of this soup. You can't go wrong with Heirloom tomatoes, local is always better when available.

• Prep time    20 minutes
• Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 3 cups chopped tomato
2. 1/2 cup chopped seedless cucumber
3. 1/2 cup Seoul Sister kimchi
4. 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
5. 1 tablespoon fine olive oil
6. salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop the tomatoes into chunks appropriate for blending. You can peel the tomatoes but it isn't necessary. Chop the cucumber into similar size pieces.
2. Put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. You can blend it until smooth or leave it a bit chunky.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Chill until cold.
5. Serve in bowls or glasses and garnish with chives. In Spain, Gazpacho is often served in a glass over ice.

Enjoy! This is a great dish on those hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the house. Try it at brunch, too.