• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

In this instance—though not always—peeling and seeding the tomatoes is worth the effort. To do so, bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut a small X on the smooth (flower) end of each tomato. Drop them into the boiling water. In about thirty seconds, you’ll see the skin begin to loosen. Immediately remove from the boiling water and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When they’re cool, peel, then cut them in half through their equator. Squeeze and shake out the seeds. (For best flavor, do this over a strainer and recombine the reserved juices with the pulp.)

Use fresh thyme (1 teaspoon), dill (1 tablespoon), basil (¼ cup), parsley (¼ cup), chervil (1 tablespoon), chives (¼ cup), or a mixture of herbs to make this even better; garnish with fresh herbs, too, if you like.

2 slices good-quality stale white bread, crusts removed

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves

1 small garlic clove, peeled

1 cup chicken stock or ice cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Soak the bread in cold water briefly; squeeze dry and combine in a blender with the tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Add the ice cubes if using them. Turn on the machine and drizzle in the stock. Turn off the machine and pour the mixture into a bowl.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add lemon juice to taste. Chill and serve.

TOMATO-MELON GAZPACHO

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS TIME TO CHILL

I LIKE GAZPACHO, but the ultimate minimalist version—take a few tomatoes, a red pepper, some onion, oil, and vinegar, and whiz it in a blender—doesn’t always cut it for me. When I confessed this to my friend and sometime co-author Jean-Georges Vongerichten, he suggested I abandon tradition entirely and combine tomatoes with another fruit of the season: cantaloupe. These, combined with basil and lemon—in place of vinegar—produce the mildest, most delicious, creamiest gazpacho I’ve ever tasted. Make sure to use ripe cantaloupe and tomato at the height of the summer for the best results.

4 tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and seeded

One 3-pound cantaloupe

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Cut the tomato flesh into 1-inch chunks. Seed the melon and remove the flesh from the rind; cut it into chunks. Put a tablespoon of olive oil in each of two 10- or 12-inch skillets and turn the heat under both to high (you can do this sequentially if you have only one skillet). Add the melon to one skillet and the tomatoes to the other and cook, stirring, until they become juicy, no longer than 2 minutes.

2. In a blender, puree the melon, tomato, 1½ cups water or 1 cup water plus ½ cup ice cubes, and the basil, along with some salt and pepper. Chill, then add lemon juice to taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve.

ASIAN-STYLE CUCUMBER SOUP

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

FOR YEARS I was stuck on blended or cooked cucumber soups, until I was served a clear, chunky, ice-cold soup laced with soy and with the sour-sweet-salty-spicy combination characteristic of so much Southeast Asian cooking. After I duplicated that, it occurred to me to make a similar preparation with nam pla (fish sauce) and coconut milk, an equally spicy but wonderfully creamy concoction. I know I’ll never use either the blender or the stove to make cucumber soup again.

3 cups chicken stock, preferably chilled

2 medium cucumbers

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar

1 small fresh chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup minced scallion

1 cup chopped watercress or arugula (optional)

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, mint, Thai basil, or a combination

1. If the stock is not cold, throw it in the freezer while you prepare the cucumbers. Peel them, then cut them in half the long way; use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice them as thinly