Chilled Tomato Basil Soup Recipes

CHILLED TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium, add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato juice, basil sprigs and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add 3 cups bread cubes and return the soup to a simmer. Cook, mashing the bread with a wooden spoon, until broken down, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs. Stir in the vinegar. Working in two batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth, adding 2 tablespoons olive oil per batch. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Before serving, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the remaining 2 cups bread cubes; cook, tossing, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the soup with salt; top with the croutons and chopped basil.

COLD BASIL-TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Cut the tomatoes into half-inch cubes. (There should be about five cups.) Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a kettle and add the onion, green pepper, garlic, celery, thyme and fennel. Stirring often, without browning, cook about five minutes. Add the chopped basil and tomato paste and stir. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the cubed tomatoes. When the mixture returns to a boil, let simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the tomato juice. Let cool, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• Spoon about half the mixture at a time into a food processor or blender. Blend as finely as possible, and repeat with the remaining mixture. Combine the two batches.
• Place a sieve over a bowl and pour in the soup. Press to extract as much liquid as possible from the solids.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Tabasco sauce and the sugar and blend. Spoon into six chilled soup bowls. Garnish each one with one basil sprig. Serve with cheese croutons.

CHILLED TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• To make the soup:
• In a food processor purée the tomatoes and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and the broth and stir the mixture into the tomato purée. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, the sugar, the whole basil leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup cool and chill it, covered, for at least 8 hours. The soup may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Discard the whole basil leaves, ladle the soup into 6 bowls, and garnish each serving with a dollop of the sour cream and some of the chopped basil. Drizzle the soup with the oil and serve it with the toasts.
• To make the garlic baguette toasts:
• In a small skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it begins to turn golden, brush the bread wedges with the oil, and on a baking sheet bake them in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden. Sprinkle the toasts with the salt and break them in half. Makes 12 toasts.

CHILLED TOMATO, ROASTED GARLIC, AND BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a small heavy skillet dry-roast garlic over moderately low heat, turning it occasionally, until skin is browned and garlic is tender, about 20 minutes, and peel. In a blender purée garlic and tomatoes in batches and force through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in vinegar, Tabasco, and salt to taste. Chill soup, covered, at least until cold, about 6 hours, and up to 1 day. Before serving, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper if necessary.