Photo by Judith Hausman
Some may weigh these tomatoes rejects . I consider them soup .
I last found it . Thanks to nutrient goddess Alice Waters ’ The Art of Simple Food ( Clarkson Potter , 2007 ) , I last have the gross summer love apple soup recipe . After many attempt that turned out too watery , too acidulous , too sweet or were thickened with tomato paste , cornstarch , flour or cream , I tried her ultra - straightforward formula and adore it .
The first “ underground ” to the recipe , arguably to all her food , is lots and stack of really , really good raw cloth . Thetomatoesdon’t have to look good at all ; they have to taste good — no , not bad . I have access to plenty of misshapen , won’t - sell , heirloom beauty at Rainbeau Ridge , but you might be able to purchase a 1/4 bushel direct from a farm or beg some jumpy ones from a neighbor .
Alice ’s 2d enigma is one tablespoon of white rice , cook with two pounds of tomatoes . When the little mo of cooked rice is blended with the cooked love apple , it thickens up the soup just enough to give it body and emulsify it without adding any rice taste , to speak of .
Almost any tomato plant soup recipe will ask you to blanch and strip down the tomatoes : moan . It has to be done or you ’ll have annoying sliver of pelt to contend with in each spoonful . So be it . While you are at it , trim down out the cores and any concentrated bits or mar .
Here ’s my own one variety : When the peel tomatoes have cooled some , squeeze out the seeds and succus so you have in the main flesh left . Just peck them up in your clenched fist and give them a good squeeze . Think Aztec ritual and throbbing warrior hearts . Reserve the succus and seed though . You ’ll strain that mess into the soup pot and discard the ejaculate . Alice has you filtrate the soup after cooking but I feel my method acting bump off enough seeds and is well-situated than deal with the blockheaded cooked soup .
Alice ’s recipe then ask you to sauté a intermediate sliced onion ( and a leek , which I omitted ) in a combining of butter and Olea europaea oil and then to add two garlic clove . After they are easy but not browned , pile in the tomato plant pulp and strained juice . I added a few sprigs of Basil of Caesarea and some wild marjoram leaves , salt and pepper , and a little fennel pollen we had lying around . ( Florence fennel frond or even semen will do . ) Cook it all until some of liquid has vaporise and the tomatoes have fallen apart exhaustively .
Wand - blender it all , and then contribute a cup of water and another tablespoonful of butter .
Tomato.com . No stock , no paste , no celery and carrots . So dear , so summery , so easy , just like the title of the cookery book promises . Go , Alice !
We served the soup cold with chop herb to dust at will , a bowling ball of Greek yoghurt to trim it and a loaf of bread of olive bread . The soup is just as secure red-hot and pick can be added , but then be careful not to boil the soup in re - heating . If you want to immobilise it , do so before the last cup of water and/or any cream , which you could total after you defrost it . Oh , and by all odds double the recipe — you’ll want more .
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