Soups

Chilled summer tomato soup with diced vegetables and basil cream

2teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1small rib celery, trimmed and sliced

1small onion, peeled and sliced

1small leek, white part only, rinsed to remove grit, sliced

1medium red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, sliced

1/2small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced

8large cloves garlic, split

4pounds large, ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

1bouquet garni of 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 large sprigs basil, tied with string

1cup water

1/4teaspoon saffron threads

1/4cup pastis or other anise-flavored liqueur (optional)

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1/4cup red onion cut into 1/8-inch dice

1/4cup English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch dice

1/4cup ripe avocado, cut into 1/8-inch dice

1teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/3cup sour cream

2tablespoons heavy or light cream

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

10large fresh basil leaves

Heat oil in large heavy, non-reactive casserole over medium-low heat. Stir in celery, onion, leek, bell pepper, fennel and garlic. Cover and sweat until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, bouquet garni, water and saffron, and bring to a boil. Partially cover and cook until tomatoes are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the herbs. Stir in pastis and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let soup cool over a bowl of ice. (If you are in a hurry, omit this step. However, cooling helps to retain the tomatoes’ bright red color.)

Transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth, then pass through a fine strainer, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

Combine red onion, cucumber and avocado in a small bowl. Add lemon juice and pinch of salt. Blend sour cream and light cream in a small bowl. Chop basil and stir into the cream along with the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Stir diced vegetables into the soup. Ladle into bowls, add a dollop of cream, and serve at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Seasonal soups won’t turn kitchens into infernos

By Joanna Pruess

Associated Press

* the heat of summer, my interest in preparing slowly simmered foods melts as quickly as ice cubes on hot pavement.

Although all I crave are simple dishes, I want them to taste good and have texture and eye appeal as well.

Many soups meet these demands. My favorites rely on the finest seasonal produce and are often served chilled or at room temperature. They can be an elegant start to a summer meal, a soothing lunch or a refreshing dessert.

Tomatoes are the perfect example of why I wait for in-season crops – and gazpacho has long been one of my summertime staples. When I found some heirloom varieties at a local farm stand recently I was enticed to experiment.

For this new effort, I blend ripe, juicy tomatoes with aromatic vegetables, a pinch of saffron and a splash of pastis. Finely diced cucumber, avocado and red onion add a satisfying texture and a dollop of lightly salted basil-lemon scented cream is a tasty topping.

The combination makes me think of Provence with a touch of America’s Southwest. Like many hot-weather soups, it’s best served cool, not cold, so you can appreciate nuances of flavor.

Another room-temperature first course or luncheon soup was inspired by a favorite cool-weather pasta dish, Pasta Tre “P,” in which prosciutto, peas and parmesan are combined in a creamy sauce.

For this vibrant green soup, peas cooked in the French style (with lettuce and butter) are pureed with stock and light cream. Tiny cubes of prosciutto are added and each bowl is served with a parmesan-black pepper crisp.

Unless you find tender young peas in the market (a fleeting pleasure), use tiny frozen ones. Forget about buying and shelling starchy big ones; the taste is sadly lacking.

Many vegetables and fruits can similarly be whizzed almost instantly into chilly soups with a blender or food processor. Add a little stock, juice or even buttermilk (or a combination) and some herbs and you have a quick meal. Because purees seem to absorb a lot of liquid, have extra on hand to add if needed – otherwise you may feel as if you are eating a vegetable side dish or compote.

Unfortunately, like a bare summer dress, pared-down, minimalist soups expose our excesses and faults. So, if a soup uses stock, it should be either made in your kitchen or a high-quality prepared product without additives and excess salt.

Yogurt is another terrific base, especially for fruit soups. Here again, choose the best quality you can find. I especially like Greek yogurt. Either full-fat or low-fat varieties are preferable because nonfat yogurt usually produces thin, watery results.

In one hot-weather dessert, vanilla yogurt, pureed peaches and apple cider are blended. Whole fresh blueberries lend visual appeal, as do a tiny scoop of peach sorbet and a small mint leaf added before serving. The work is minimal and you can even use frozen peaches.

Usually, less is more when deciding what to add or serve with these seasonal offerings. Fresh herbs and even edible flowers or thin slices of French bread spread with flavored olive oil or butter are all nice accents. Too many layers of spice and flavor, however, mask the beauty of the ingredients.

Heat, either as a temperature or a level of seasoning, needn’t be categorically ruled out. In India, where thermometers often stall in the upper 90s for weeks at a time, there is a long tradition of eating hot and spicy curried foods to help the body cool itself down.

Even robust soups like bouillabaisse and cioppino (originally Italian but adopted by San Franciscans) inspire thoughts of leisurely meals in seaside resorts.

3-P soup: peas, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese

8tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter or olive oil

1/3cup finely chopped shallots

1small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, washed, cored, shaken of excess water and cut into thin strips

4cups shelled young peas, or two 16-ounce packages frozen “petite” peas, defrosted

2teaspoons salt or to taste

2teaspoons sugar or to taste

4cups chicken or vegetable stock

1cup light cream

4ounces prosciutto, cut into fine dice

6tablespoons freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Heat butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lettuce and peas, reserving about 1/2 cup for the final garnish, and salt and sugar. Cover the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Transfer peas to a food processor or electric blender and puree until smooth. Do this in batches if necessary. Reserve any liquid in the pan not used to puree the peas. Pass the peas through a fine strainer to eliminate pea skins. Return mixture to pan.

Stir in stock, cream and prosciutto, and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Combine Parmesan and black pepper in a bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. For each crisp, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese in a 3-inch circle. It should be thin.

Leave about 2 inches between circles. Cook until the cheese melts and the edges begin to brown. Remove with spatula and cool on cake rack.

Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with parmesan-black pepper crisps and reserved peas, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Curried mango soup with lobster

1cup pureed ripe mango

1cup aseptically packaged mango nectar (not canned mango pulp)

1cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

2tablespoons Penang-style red curry paste, available at some supermarkets and Asian groceries

1tablespoon finely chopped fresh lemon grass

1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled

1tablespoon light-brown sugar

1tablespoon unsalted butter

8ounces lobster meat, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes

2tablespoons dark rum (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa:

1/2cup finely diced ripe mango

1/2cup finely diced red bell pepper or a combination of bell pepper and hot red chili peppers

2tablespoons finely chopped basil

1tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine pureed mango, mango nectar, coconut milk, curry paste, lemon grass, ginger root and brown sugar an electric blender and puree until completely smooth. Pour soup through fine strainer into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lobster and saute until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, turning frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour on rum, if using, and cook over high heat for 30 seconds. Scrape into the soup.

For the salsa: Combine remaining mango, red pepper, basil and lime juice in a bowl. Divide soup among four large, flat bowls. Top each with a generous spoonful of salsa and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Peach soup with blueberries

2-3large ripe peaches, peeled and stone removed, pureed (about 1 cup) and refrigerated until very cold

1cup apple cider

2tablespoons honey

1tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg

6ounces vanilla yogurt

1/2pint fresh blueberries

Peach sorbet, optional

Mint leaves, to garnish

Combine peaches, cider, honey, lemon juice and nutmeg in electric blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl, fold in yogurt, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, stir in the blueberries, ladle the soup into bowls, add a small scoop of sorbet, and garnish with a mint leaf.

Makes 4 servings.