Summer Soup

Adam saw this recipe on Giada at Home and immediately decided he wanted it. Anytime Adam says he wants a soup, I go with it, as it doesn't happen very often. This soup has a great kick and is perfectly refreshing for summer. The recipe calls for polenta croutons, but we just made a loaf of bread as an accompaniment and topped the gazpacho with a dollop of yogurt. This was a perfect meal for a summer weeknight.

Cherry Tomato and Chile Gazpacho (Giada at Home, www.foodnetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis)

Gazpacho:

1 lb. ripe cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups)

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped, or 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped

1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped

1 large or 2 small shallots, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 tsp. hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

Croutons:

vegetable oil, for frying

1/2 tube (9 oz) store-bought, pre-cooked polenta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 Tbs. grated Parmesan

1. For the gazpacho: Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, chiles, shallots, garlic, vinegar, hot sauce, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, to taste. Refrigerate for 2 hours until ready to serve.

2. For the croutons: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan with 1 inch of oil. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Working in batches, carefully add the polenta cubes and fry, stirring occasionally to keep the cubes separated, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

3. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

4. To serve: Ladle the gazpacho into 4 soup bowls and top with the polenta croutons.