Flamenco, anyone?

During my trip to Spain, I visited a famous Flamenco restaurant. I was awed to see wonderful Flamenco dancers. I became curious of their style of dance, their intricate hand movement and footwork.

I wondered to myself: "Where do they get all this energy?"

Just as I was about to ask them they handed me a bowl of cold soup. The smell was intriguing, the taste fabulous. I savoured every vegetable ingredient.

After I finished eating I felt a desire to move my feet and hands. I felt like I was given a Flamenco Dance Potion.

I got up from my chair headed straight to the female dancers and asked: "Flamenco, anyone?"

Now you can make this potion yourself!!

My friends from California made the recipe simple, easy and nutritious. Enjoy and remember to dance.

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Gazpacho alla California
submitted by Foodista and Viansa

Makes 8 cups

1 large cucumber: peeled, seeded and diced
1 large red onion: peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper: seeded and diced
1 large zucchini, diced
6 large tomatoes: peeled seeded and diced (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of Tobasco sauce (optional)

Garnish:

1/2 sour cream
1/2 cup fresh minced chives
1/2 cups croutons, preferably homemade (I skipped this in my preparation)

Note: I also like to toss in avocado for extra creaminess.

Set aside about a 1/2 cup each of the diced cucumber, onion, pepper, and zucchini. Toss the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree slightly, so vegetables remain a little chunky. Cover tightly and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or until chilled. Either stir the remaining vegetables into the soup, or arrange on a separate dish to be added individually. Nice served with a dollop of sour cream, too.

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Vicki Sebastiani, founder of Viansa Winery in Sonoma, California. You can find it in her wonderful cookbook Cucina Viansa.