Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho Shooters

Can you stand yet another company-worthy appetizer?   Serve this refreshing (emerald) jewel of a soup!

Celebrate your favorite friends and family gatherings with this riff on gazpacho.  With its slight kick, it's perfect for tiny servings.  Hand to guests as they walk in. They will quickly realize that this isn't an ordinary gathering.

Aside from the need to spice it up a notch due to diminutive servings, cold also tends to mute flavors.  So don't hold back on the salt and black pepper.  But keep in mind that you are also serving other delicious treats as as well.  So unless you really don't care about anyone being able to taste any of it, stick to only 1 teaspoon of the Sambal Oelek.

The hardest part of the recipe is pouring the gazpacho into those mini-cordial glasses without leaving drips all over the glass.  Or maybe that's just me.  I find it easier to first ladle the smooth gazpacho into a liquid measuring cup, then fill the glasses.  You're welcome.


Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho Shooters
Adapted from Sweet Paul 
Yield:  approximately 12 cordial glass-sized shooters
Note: Can be made up to a day in advance.  Serve cold.

1/2 English cucumber, coarsely chopped
3 mini-peppers (red, orange, yellow or any combination), stemmed and seeded
1 green onion (green parts)
1⁄8 loosely backed cup fresh basil leaves
1⁄8 loosely packed cup fresh parsley leaves, plus extra for garnish if desired
1 tsp. Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
2 tsp. chopped garlic (from a bottle), or 2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
1⁄ cup vegetable stock
2 Tbl. olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
2 tsp. kosher salt (plus more if needed)
1/ tsp. coarsely ground pepper (plus more if needed)

 Coarsely chop the cucumber, mini-peppers, green onion, and the basil and parsley leaves.  Place all in a food processor or blender.
Add in Sambal Oekek, and garlic.

Process for 30 seconds to finely chop ingredients.  Stop processor/blender and add
vegetable stock, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Continue to process until liquefied, about 1 minute.

Chill for at least 1 hour or until very cold.

Taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.  Divide evenly into cordial glasses, garnishing each with a parsley leaf (if desired) just before serving.