Box-Grater Gazpacho

FASTER

VEGETARIAN

GLUTEN-FREE

Makes 10 servings

Yep, the food processor’s a great tool. Yep, it’s a mess to clean up. And when it comes to gazpacho, it juices the vegetables other than the tomatoes (like the cucumber and celery), rendering this classic cold soup too much like vegetable soup, not a cold tomato soup with chunks of vegetables in the mix. Using a box grater cuts down on the cleanup and keeps the vegetables crunchier. It also lets the tomatoes maintain a certain toothsome texture, even in the soup. We add tomato juice to compensate—and the result is pure heaven. Work right over the serving bowl, grating the vegetables into it.

4 pounds red ripe tomatoes (about 6 large), cored

1 large seedless (or English) cucumber

2 medium celery stalks

1 small yellow onion, peeled

Up to 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

Two 4½-ounce cans chopped mild green chiles (about 1 cup)

2 cups tomato juice, preferably salt-free

¼ cup sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon table salt

Up to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Several dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco sauce, to taste

Olive oil for serving

1. Grate the tomatoes, cucumber, celery, and onion through the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Grate the garlic through the small holes of that box grater into the same bowl.

2. Stir in the chiles, tomato juice, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

3. Ladle into bowls or mugs. Drizzle a little olive oil over each before serving.

Test Kitchen Notes

• To core tomatoes, cut them in half through the core, then use a paring knife to remove the hard, pale white or beige section at the top and the tough bits right underneath it.

• Long, seedless cucumbers usually come wrapped in plastic because they’re not waxed to preserve them.

• Running celery over a box grater can be hard, since the “strings” loosen and ball up. If you’re finding it challenging, strip the stalks of these strings before you start.

Voilà! Here’s another summery, no-cook soup for a light meal in the evening: Puree 2 cups store-bought cantaloupe cubes with ½ cup mango nectar. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in 1 minced small shallot, 6 shredded basil leaves, 3 dashes hot pepper sauce, and ¼ teaspoon table salt. Chill for at least 2 hours. Top each serving with store-bought cooked lump crabmeat or cocktail shrimp.