Recipe by Bryant Terry

Serves 4 to 6

Soundtrack: “Sea Lion Woman” by Feist from The Reminder

With the increasing chorus of voices calling for more biodiversity in our food system, heirloom tomatoes have become popular and more readily available over the past decade. While the bizarre shapes and unusual colors of heirloom tomatoes might throw off newcomers, their varied tastes and textures keep folks coming back for more. The cool thing about this soup is that there are endless flavor possibilities depending on what variety of tomato one uses. Remix this soup by using different varieties every time you make it, and enjoy it chilled or room temperature.

And speaking of (re)mixes, I have to big-up chefs Alice Waters and Peter Berley for inspiring this recipe. When I was brainstorming ideas for summer soups, I ran across a recipe for “Chilled Tomato Soup with Shallots, Cucumbers, and Corn” in Peter’s book Fresh Food Fast. In the headnote, he tells us that Alice’s Gazpacho inspired his soup. I hope this soup inspires someone to remix it.

CUCUMBER SALSA
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil


TOMATO SOUP
3 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes (preferably one variety), cut into 1-inch slices
Coarse sea salt
1/2 cup toasted peanuts, for garnish

For the Salsa:
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well. Set aside.

For the Soup:
In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to an upright blender and purée until creamy. Strain the liquid into a large bowl, discarding the solids.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and, with a slotted spoon, transfer a heaping tablespoon of cucumber salsa to each bowl. Finish off with a heaping tablespoon of toasted peanuts for garnish.

See also Succotash Soup with Garlicky Cornbread Croutons and Quinoa-Quinoa Cornbread.

Share this story: delicious · digg · facebook · newsvine