Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [98]
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil, then add the shallots. Cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stir well, then add the basil and thyme. Cook just until aromatic, about 20 seconds, then pour in the broth and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the pan’s bottom. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes. (It should still look like a soup, not a tomato sauce.) Season with pepper, then set off the heat to cool for 5 minutes.
Pour the contents of the pan into a large food processor fitted with a chopping blade or into a large, wide-bottomed blender. (Work in batches, if necessary.) Process or blend until pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl or canister as necessary. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pan.
Pour the pureed soup into a large pitcher, container, or bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler, then slice it in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a small spoon, then dice the flesh and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the apple, dill, vinegar, sugar, and hot red pepper sauce. Season with salt.
To serve, mound a little cucumber salsa in the middle of each bowl, then ladle the soup around the salsa.
Note: Check the label on the chicken broth can; if it contains a lot of sodium, cut the Worcestershire sauce to 1½ tablespoons.
Variations: For a heartier soup, substitute beef broth for the chicken broth.
For a lower-acid soup, use yellow tomatoes; reduce the Worcestershire sauce to 1 tablespoon.
Substitute 1 tablespoon lime juice for the white balsamic vinegar.
Add 1 chopped seeded fresh jalapeño chile to the salsa with the apple.
Set the salsa on top of a small dollop of sour cream, crème fraîche, or plain yogurt.
For a Moroccan flavor, cook 2 minced garlic cloves with the shallots; omit the basil and thyme, and add 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon ground coriander in their stead. Also substitute mint for the dill in the salsa.
For an East Indian flavor, cook 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger with the shallots; omit the basil and thyme, and add 1½ tablespoons curry powder in their stead. Also, substitute chopped fresh cilantro for the dill and stir ½ cup plain yogurt into the salsa.
Top each serving with ¼ cup lump crabmeat, picked over for shell and cartilage; baby cooked shrimp (also known as “salad shrimp”); or chopped cooked lobster meat.
Gazpacho
Hand-chopping the vegetables preserves their individual tastes and textures—the secret to classic gazpacho. Makes 8 servings
6 cups no-salt tomato juice
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Several dashes of hot red pepper sauce to taste
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, minced (see Note)
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and finely chopped
Whisk the tomato juice, broth, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and hot red pepper sauce in a large bowl, pitcher, or resealable container.
Stir in the tomatoes, celery, onion, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.
Four hours before serving, stir in the bell peppers and cucumber. Cover and refrigerate.
Check to see if the soup needs any more salt. Serve ice cold in soup bowls, shot glasses, or wineglasses.
Note: We don’t seed the tomatoes but we do cut them to save every bit of juice. If you want to seed them for aesthetics,.
Variations: Add 1 tablespoon minced oregano leaves or 2 teaspoons stemmed