My childhood friend Pam wrote me a note recently that she couldn’t directly help with a project because she was still woozy from a great bowl of Pho. It was August. Granted, Seattle in August isn’t hot, at least not often. But soup in August? I don’t get it. Unless it’s gazpacho.
We have a great natural food co-op here called PCC that makes a wonderful version. I asked for their recipe and they gave it to me. It makes gallons. So I looked at the ingredients and improvised.
You can either finely chop the ingredients or puree them and put some finely chopped garnish on top. Maybe with a dollop of sour cream, greek-style plain yogurt, or crème fresh. Or goat cheese might be nice if you like goat cheese.
Start with a large can of crushed Italian tomatoes and add in:
- 1 cucumber
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- About a cup of chopped celery and celery leaves
- A small bunch of cilantro
- A small bunch of Italian parsely
- Three or four fresh roma tomatoes or the equivalent of whatever kind are ripe in your garden
- 1 red onion
- Three or four scallions
- A clove or three of garlic (optional*)
Either puree the above or finely chop it. Mix into the canned crushed tomatoes. If it’s too thick, add in some tomato or veggie juice until it suits your palate.
Add a good quarter cup of a nice vinegar – wine, sherry or champagne – the juice of a fresh lime or lemon, a couple good grinds of pepper and salt to taste.
If you like a bite in your soup, add a minced jalapeno or some cayenne or Tabasco sauce. I heard Seattle super-chef Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s say his secret is to add a shot of vodka into it. I assume this is for adults only.
A nice loaf of sourdough bread, a glass of wine, and you have a great simple dinner for a hot night.
* Yeah, I know everyone out there is probably thinking “What does she mean optional?” Well, some of us love garlic but can’t tolerate it. So you can make it without. Nertz to all those foodies who say it can’t be done.
