tickled pink

The output of my tomato plants was disappointing to say the least, but I've people to take care of my needs. My buddy at work brought in a bag full of big, red, juicy maters and I took (probably more than) my fair share.


Since I couldn't possibly eat them all before they rotted, I decided to make some soup. It's still pretty toasty in these parts (it hit 90 degrees the other day), so I went the chilled route.

Sadly, I'd never peeled tomatoes before this, but it was pretty much as easy as breathing. Also, I had no idea that bread was involved in this sort of thing, but fortunately I had some really old bread lingering in my fridge that fit the bill quite nicely.

My picture is a bit misleading--this was an extremely pink soup. It looked unlike any tomato soup I've ever seen, and I can't figure out why. I suppose it was the type of tomatoes used or the fact that they weren't cooked. Regardless, it's a really tasty and light soup.

Cold Tomato Soup with Basil
(adapted from Mark Bittman)

2 slices stale bread
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup chicken stock
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice, and sugar to taste

Soak bread in cold water briefly and squeeze dry. Combine in a bowl with the tomatoes, basil, and stock. Using an immersion blender or other blending apparatus, puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then add lemon juice and sugar to taste. Chill and serve.

Kelly of Sass & Veracity is about to celebrate her 100,000th visitor, so I want to use this delightful dish as my contribution to her party. Even Gordon Ramsey couldn't turn this away.