When the cucumber runs out...

Gazpacho was in order with the sudden spell of very hot weather this weekend - but there was not a cucumber to be bought anywhere. I even had one lady complain to me that 'it's unfair all these people who don't normally eat it, the hot weather comes along and they all buy it for their barbecues and then people like us who always eat it can't get any'. I suspect I am one of those people who buys it in hot weather, I certainly don't buy it all the time, but wasn't going to admit that having made it onto her list of people behaving acceptably.

Oh well, gazpacho without the cucumber it is then! I started by cooking down some chopped onion in olive oil to soften it, then added it to some chopped tomatoes, some basil leaves and liquidised it like crazy.

Not having a decent sieve in the kitchen meant I had to filter it through a jelly bag - squeeze it through being a more accurate description. The resulting liquid was cloudy - it could have been clear if gravity had been left to do its thing, but that is for another recipe. The liquid then went into a jug in the fridge to chill for an hour.

I added a small amount of water, some salt and pepper and then poured it into glasses. Dollops of Yeo Valley yogurt dropped to the bottom and some chopped basil leaves finished it off (oh and a few drops of chilli oil for the kick) and that was it. I am going to have to try making gazpacho with cucumber sometime too - but for now this was most welcome at the end of a hot day spent at the allotment - and a much better flavour than I expected from a handful of tomatoes and an onion.