Michigan Cherry Gazpacho

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

I just picked up another bag of Michigan cherries at Plum Market. I can't get enough of our state's precious jewels at this time of the year, and I can't get enough gazpacho in this heat.

About this time each year I made a batch of this soup, I'll substitute fresh tomatoes for the cherries when they come into season.

Yield: Approx. 10 cups
Time: 40 minutes (pitting cherries is time consuming)

Ingredients

48 ounces V-8 or tomato juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
4 cups pitted sweet cherries, quartered
1 1/2 cups loosely packed basil, torn

Directions

Combine V-8 or tomato juice with lime juice and garlic. Stir in cucumber, peppers, cherries and basil. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired.