Chilled Tomato Soup, Gazpacho Style

Name: Chilled Tomato Soup, Gazpacho Style
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded; 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups crustless, cubed day-old country white bread; 2 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled; Salt; 5 lb. best available vine-ripened red tomatoes, halved; 1 ⁄ 3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 ⁄ 2 lb. mixed varieties and colors small vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered; 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced; 1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced; 1 ⁄ 2 small red onion, peeled and diced; Leaves from ½ bunch chervil, chopped; Leaves from ½ bunch basil, chopped; 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar; 1 ⁄ 4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 6 slices country white bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, toasted, and rubbed with 1 clove peeled garlic

Serves
serves 6

CHRISTOPHER HIRSHEIMER

Ingredients

FOR THE SOUP:

1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
1 ¹⁄₂ cups crustless, cubed day-old country white bread
2 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
5 lb. best available vine-ripened red tomatoes, halved
¹⁄₃ cup extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE RELISH:

¹⁄₂ lb. mixed varieties and colors small vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
¹⁄₂ small red onion, peeled and diced
Leaves from ½ bunch chervil, chopped
Leaves from ½ bunch basil, chopped
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices country white bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, toasted, and rubbed with 1 clove peeled garlic

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Chefs from Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, collaborated on this wonderful summer soup, using only organic produce. This recipe is their version of the Spanish classic.

Ingredients

FOR THE SOUP:

1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
1 ¹⁄₂ cups crustless, cubed day-old country white bread
2 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
5 lb. best available vine-ripened red tomatoes, halved
¹⁄₃ cup extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE RELISH:

¹⁄₂ lb. mixed varieties and colors small vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
¹⁄₂ small red onion, peeled and diced
Leaves from ½ bunch chervil, chopped
Leaves from ½ bunch basil, chopped
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices country white bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, toasted, and rubbed with 1 clove peeled garlic

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Instructions

Step 1

For the soup: Soak chile in a bowl of hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, peel, and crush to a paste with a mortar and pestle; set aside. Soak bread cubes in a medium bowl of cold water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and set aside. Crush garlic with 2 tbsp. salt to a paste with a mortar and pestle, add soaked bread, and grind until smooth; set aside. Grate cut side of tomatoes just to skin on large holes of box grater into a strainer set over a large bowl, straining out seeds and pressing through as much pulp as possible; discard skins. Stir reserved chile paste, garlic-bread paste, and oil into tomato pulp and season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Step 2

For the relish: Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, chervil, basil, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Divide soup between 6 bowls; add a generous spoonful of relish and a slice of toast to each bowl.