Lauren Small's Gazpacho

As promised! Lauren Small sent me her recipe for Gazpacho and here it is below. But first, here’s a little background information about Lauren. She is a woman of many hats. She's an award-winning equestrian, a wife, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a fiction writer, a novelist, a teacher of creative writing, a great friend, a wonderful reader, a member of the Screw Iowa! Writer's Workshop (www.screwiowa.com), a thorough “critiquer” and a good cook!

Lauren Small’s novel, Choke Creek, is due out mid-September by Bridle Path Press and will be available on http://www.amazon.com/ and also on Lauren’s website: http://www.laurensmall.com/. Her novel will be taught in high schools in Maryland and Florida.

The novel is based on the Massacre of Sand Creek in 1864. The story is told in alternating chapters between the main character, Evie Glauber, who is in search of truth and her boyfriend Eason, who joins the Army to fight in Viet Nam. Small's love of history, research and her wonderful lyrical writing are showcased in this debut novel. Small’s research led her in many directions and one of the books that inspired her writing was The Things They Carried by Tim O’ Brien. As Small says in the book’s “Afterword,” “As for the Indian Wars—there is much that still needs to be said. It is my hope that this book will become one voice in the conversation.”


Here’s the recipe for Gazpacho (Serves 4)

Gazpacho

4 large, ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Cut cores out of tomatoes. Peel and seed cucumber. Take seeds out of green
pepper. Cut all vegetables into chunks and puree in food processor with all
other ingredients. If the soup is too thick, add a little water. Chill and enjoy.