The Gazpacho That Got Away

Start with the makings of gazpacho--a pot chock-full of tomatoes, sweet red pepper, celery, garlic and, for spice, some jalapeno --heated until you have a heady aroma. Now toss in some raw shrimp, fiddle some more with the seasonings, pour the soup into two bowls and top each with diced avocado. Now you’ve got yourself a fine bowl of tomato-shrimp soup.

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TOMATO-SHRIMP SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and minced

1 medium celery stalk, diced

1 medium sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and diced

2 large tomatoes, peeled, cored and diced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 to 6 ounces small shrimp, peeled

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

Heat oil in medium pan. Add garlic, jalapeno, celery and sweet red pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil and chicken broth. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and cook over low heat until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into 2 bowls. Top each with diced avocado. Makes 2 servings.

Note : To peel tomatoes, bring pan of water to boil. Add tomatoes for 30 seconds. Remove and rinse under cold water and peel will come off easily. To serve soup cold, chill after shrimp are cooked. Add avocado just before serving.