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Chilled Red and Yellow Tomato Soups with
Peppers, Cucumbers, Onions and Basil

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La Belle Cuisine

Chilled Red and Yellow Tomato Soups with
Peppers, Cucumbers, Onions, and Basil


Chez Panisse Cooking
by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters,
1988, Random House

For 6

“This double soup is beautiful to look at, brilliant in color, and evocative of
summer. The red tomato soup and the yellow tomato soup are presented side
by side in the same bowl, and the flavor, acidity, and colors of each tomato
remain distinct.
Chilled soups are meant to be refreshing and should be served by themselves
on hot days. Similarly, they can be thought of as relief between two heavier
hot courses, in which case weather is not important. In making these soups
be careful when extracting the juice from the tomatoes. Never use a blender
or food processor to purée the tomatoes – when the juice and pulp are
agitated and become aerated, a stiff, pale foam forms, which will not go
away unless heated, and then the soup will be ruined.
Make this soup only in summer. Choose tomatoes that are very ripe, sweet,
and full of juice; those that are almost bursting out of their skins are best.
Unripe, out-of-season tomatoes make a soup that is flavorless, overly
acidic, or bland.”

12 very ripe red tomatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
 12 very ripe yellow tomatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
1/3 of an English cucumber (2 1/2 ounces),
peeled, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 small red onion (4 ounces), root end removed,
cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/2 red bell pepper (2 1/2 ounces), de-stemmed,
seeded, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Cut the red tomatoes, then the yellow tomatoes, into 1/2-inch dice and
put into separate bowls. With your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to release
as much juice as possible. Keeping the red and yellow tomatoes separate,
pass the juice and pulp through a stainless-steel sieve into a noncorroding container. Push as much of the juice and pulp through as possible. A food
mill fitted with a medium blade (one smaller than the seeds) should be
used. Turn the mill slowly, exerting a downward pressure.
The consistency of the juiced tomatoes will vary, depending on the
ripeness and variety of the tomatoes. Both soups should be slightly
thicker than heavy cream and their consistencies, if too heavy, should
be equalized with a little cold water. To keep the soups separate in the
bowl, similar consistencies are critical.
Mix the diced cucumber, onion, and pepper together, divide the mixture
in half, and add half to each soup. To each soup, add 1/16 teaspoon
cayenne, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil. Place
each container of soup in another larger bowl, and pack ice around it.
Pour water over the ice and refrigerate. At the same time, put six soup
bowls in the refrigerator to chill. It is best to serve this soup at 40 degrees
F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours after it has been made. (It is at this point that the
diced vegetables give their flavor over to the soup and blend and
harmonize with the tomatoes.)
Use two ladles, one in each hand, to serve the soup. Scoop up equal
amounts of each soup (figure 1/2 cup per ladle) and simultaneously
pour it into each half of each chilled bowl. The soups should meet
in the middle.

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