Cold Tomato Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Put tomatoes and garlic in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, the black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and leave to macerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to an hour.
• Pulse tomatoes in a food processor or blender until just crushed. Transfer to a strainer or food mill to remove skins and seeds, pressing well to obtain all the juices. You should have about 5 cups. Add enough ice water to yield 6 cups. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning. Chill on a bowl of ice for 15 minutes or refrigerate for up to several hours.
• Make the pepper relish about 30 minutes before serving: Put diced bell peppers and onions in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, mix well and set aside.
• To serve, rub each toast lightly with garlic. Top toasts with thick slices of avocado and season with salt and pepper. Place an avocado toast in each bowl and ladle in about 1 cup of chilled soup per serving. Garnish with a generous spoonful of pepper relish and a sprinkling of parsley and chives.

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.

Steps:

• Chop walnuts, then lightly toast in a dry, non-stick frying pan. Stir them constantly so they don't burn. They are done when they start to turn golden. Set aside.
• Puree tomatoes in blender or place tomatoes in a large glass or ceramic bowl and puree with immersion blender until smooth.
• Add basil, honey, vinegar, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
• Refrigerate soup for at least 3 hours.
• Let the soup stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with the toasted walnuts.

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, combine tomato juice, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tarragon, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until well-combined but still slightly chunky. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Pull off a small handful of cilantro leaves to use for garnish and set aside. Tie remaining cilantro into a bundle with kitchen twine.
• Heat oil in a deep, medium-size heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes; reduce heat as needed to prevent browning. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute; then add tomato paste, cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook until tomato paste begins to darken, about 2 minutes more.
• Add tomatoes with liquid, 1 quart water, salt and pepper, and cilantro bundle, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes, covered. Set aside until cool enough to blend, then remove cilantro bundle. Using regular or hand-held blender, blend until smooth. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, squeeze in juice of half a lime and add salt and pepper to taste; the soup should not be very salty. If desired, squeeze in remaining lime juice. Serve in small bowls or cups, garnished with a few whole cilantro leaves.

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.

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz until blended and smooth.
• Place a sieve over a bowl and strain the soup, pushing through as much as possible.
• Discard the solids and season the soup with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.
• Chill, until very cold. (Or add a couple of ice cubes if you are short of time).
• Pour into shot glasses and drizzle with a little more oil and maybe a leaf of celery.
• Chef's Tip - Jamie Grainger Smith comments: "It's easy to think that you can't make a difference on your own but by simply stopping to think before you eat and drink, you can! I've been working with Team Green Britain to show how simple changes such as looking at where your food comes from, eating what's in season or visiting a local butcher or deli can make your cooking more fun, more sustainable and even more delicious."