Ingredients
4 long green chiles
1 large red pepper
3 pounds red ripe large tomatoes - seeded and chopped
3 cups canned tomato juice
1 medium cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion (either 1015 or vidalia onions)
1 clove of garlic - minced fine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbl Tabasco
juice of half a large lemon
1 Tbl kosher salt
garnish -
creme fraiche
3 ripe avacadoes - peeled, pitted and diced
Preparation
Roast the chiles and the red pepper under the broiler or over an open flame until charred. Place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool. Rub away the blackened peel. Stem and seed the chiles and pepper. Coarsely chop the red pepper and set aside. Chop the green chiles into a 1/2 inch dice and set aside separately.
In a food processsor, combine the tomatoes and 1/2 the juice. Pulse until smooth. Pour this mixture into a large bowl. Next in the food processor, combine the rest of the juice, cucumbers, onions, garlic, and roasted red peppers. Pulse until smooth. Pour this also into the large bowl. Stir into the tomato mixture the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tobasco, lemon juice, chopped green chiles and salt. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight.
To serve - Ladle soup into bowls, and top with a Tbl of creme fraiche and a scattering of diced avacados.
