gazpacho

A summer favorite. Add lump crab meat or left over lobster if there is such a thing. I list amounts for the ingredients, but it is easy to add or omit whatever you like and adjust to taste.

4-5 tomatoes
2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 ribs celery
2 carrots
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3-4 pieces hearts of palm, sliced
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C good quality olive oil
2 2oz. cans V-8
1/3 C fresh chopped cilantro
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

With a paring knife, cut an X in the bottom of each tomato. In a sauce pan, bring water to a boil and blanch tomatoes for a few minutes until the skin begins to split.
Remove and place in an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel and seed, the tomatoes, discard both. Dice remaining "meat" of the tomato. Dice the cucumber, onion, celery and pepper into equal sizes. Crush the garlic. Mix all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Process 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in a food processor until smooth. Stir the processed vegetables with the remaining chopped vegetables.
Whisk the vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Stir in the Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Add to the vegetable mixture and mix well. Stir in the vegetable juice and cilantro. Chill, covered in the refrigerator.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with crab, lobster and or sour cream.