Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho

Regular readers of this blog know that I love things Spanish. Bracing manzanilla sherry. Tangy shrimp with garlic tapas. Saffron. Smoked paprika. Crusty rich paella studded with chicken and shrimp. Austere, but rich wines from Rioja. And I haven't even mentioned Picasso, Miro, Barcelona or Gaudi.

And gazpacho is one of the most wonderful things that those non-Spanish among us can claim as out own. Bracing in its acidity, but comforting in its richness, it's a great cold soup--even for those of us who don't love soup.

So how excited was I to find this recipe? With the same brightness of traditional gazpacho, but also an additional bonus richness thank to the grilling of the veggies, it's a great soup to take us from summer to autumn.

Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho
From Food & Wine magazine.
Makes ten servings.

4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered
2 large yellow bell peppers, cored and quartered
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch slabs
2 ears of corn, husked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

Light a grill. Thread the garlic cloves onto a skewer. Lightly brush the garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, onion and corn with the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic and let steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the garlic cloves from the skewers, peel them and transfer to a large bowl. Using a large serrated knife, cut the charred corn kernels into the bowl. Peel the peppers and add them to the bowl along with the zucchini, onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, tomato juice, orange juice, lemon juice and vinegar.

Working in batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour the gazpacho into a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Just before serving, stir the cilantro into the gazpacho. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the cucumber and serve.