Marinated Heirloom Tomato Soup

August 11, 2007

Excerpted from Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate by Patricia Wells (William Morrow, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Patricia Wells.

12 servings

Each summer, Johannes Sailer—chef at Les Abeilles in the Provencal village of Sablet—creates an all-tomato menu. One year he opened the meal with this stunning soup: all red, all fresh, all full of honest tomato flavor. This liquid blend of tomatoes, seasoning, top-quality olive oil, and vinegar makes you fee as though you are drinking your salad!

• 1-1/2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered (do not peel)
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon ground piment d'Espelette or dried Anaheim chili (or ground mild chili pepper)
• 2 tablespoons best-quality sherry-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 20 fresh basil leaves

1. Combine all the ingredients with 1-2/3 cups water in a food processor or a blender and purée to a smooth liquid. Taste for seasoning. The soup can be served immediately, but the flavors will benefit from ripening for 3 to 24 hours, refrigerated. At serving time, reblend the soup. Serve in chilled soup bowls.

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