Spicy Vodka Gazpacho with Mussels
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: July 3, 2013

This light and healthy gazpacho recipe from author and chef Nicole Aloni makes for a beautiful appetizer or light meal. She says, "I like to serve this soup in a glass to show off the brilliant color combination of rosy tomato, dark green poblano chile and peach-toned mussels." She gives her chilled soup a kick with a little cayenne pepper and Stoli Peppar, so kids, skip this dish!
 Gazpacho with Mussels
	Submitted to Foodista by Nicole Aloni
	Mussel preparation:
	24 green lipped mussels 
	1 chopped onion
	2 cups white wine
	2 tablespoons chopped dill
	2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
	2 tablespoons chopped parsley
	8 black peppercorns
	Soup:
	2 cups tomato juice
	6 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
	1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
	1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
	1/4 cup Stoli Peppar
	1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
	2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
	3 cloves garlic, chopped
	2 shallots, chopped
	1 medium onion, sliced
	1 teaspoon salt
	Black pepper
	2 red bell or poblano peppers, diced
	1/3 cup minced dill
	1/3 cup minced cilantro
	6 large tomato, seeded and chopped
	2 avocado, diced
	6 radishes finely sliced
	Prepare mussels:
	Scrub mussels and wash thoroughly under cold running water. Discard any mussels that don’t close when tapped.
	In a large sauce pan combine wine, onion, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook over high heat 3 to 4 minutes, until mussels open. Shake the pan occasionally.
	Remove mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. When cool enough to handle, use a spoon to remove the meat from each shell. Depending on size, cut into 2 or 3 large chunks. Refrigerate.
	To prepare soup:
	Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine well.
	Combine the next 10 ingredients, in small batches, in a blender or food processor and pulse to chop/combine. Add a little of the tomato juice mixture to each batch to allow for easy chopping. Puree half of this mixture. Reserve the other half in a chunky state.
	Add the chopped ingredients into the bowl with the tomato juice mixture, and stir to combine. Taste for salt, pepper and cayenne. The soup can be made to this point and refrigerated the day before serving.
	To serve:
	Stir in chopped avocado and cooked, chopped mussels. Pour into large glasses, like bola grande, float radish slices in each serving and garnish with a dill spear or celery stalk.