Here in the Pacific Northwest, we're showered in an abundance of tomatoes, and this soup really lets them shine. We adapted a recipe from The America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook to incorporate some of our favorite kitchen essentials - oil and vinegar! Of course, Apple State Vinegar is a juicy, bold addition to the recipe that adds probiotics and prebiotics for optimum digestion. Paired with Calivirgin olive oil - made by a family business in California - this simple soup is taken to a whole new level of delicious.
Category
Soup
Servings
4-6
Author:
Apple State Vinegar
Simple and delicious, this Spanish soup lets high-quality ingredients shine.
Ingredients
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3 pounds (about 6 medium) ripe tomatoes, cored
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1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded
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1 small red onion, peeled and halved
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2 medium garlic gloves, peeled and quartered
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1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
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1 medium green bell pepper, halved, cored, and seeded
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1 slice white sandwich bread torn into small pieces
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Kosher salt
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1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
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4 tablespoons Apple State Vinegar, plus extra for serving
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2 tablespoons finely minced parley, chives, or basil leaves
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Ground black pepper
Directions
Roughly chop 2 lbs. of the tomatoes, half of the cucumber, half of the bell pepper, and half of the onion and place in a bowl. Rough chop 1 clove of garlic and half of the serrano, add to the bowl along with 1.5 tsp salt. Toss until well combined.
Cut the other one pound of the tomatoes, ½ cucumbers, ½ pepper and half onion more finely into a 1/4-inch dice; place these vegetables in a separate bowl. Add 1 clove minced garlic and serrano plus another 1.5 tsp salt and place into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Set aside for an hour to drain the juices.
Transfer the drained diced veggies to a medium bowl and set aside. Add the bread pieces to the exuded liquid and soak for 1 minute. Add the soaked bread and any remaining liquid to the rough chopped vegetables.
Transfer half of the veggie-bread mixture to a blender and process for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of the oil and continue to blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, using the back of a ladle or rubber spatula to press the soup through the strainer. Repeat with the remaining veggie-bread mixture and 1/4 cup more olive oil
Stir the vinegar, parsley, and half of the diced vegetables into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to chill completely and develop the flavors. Serve with the remaining diced vegetables, olive oil, vinegar, and pepper on the side.
Recipe Note
Add some garlicky croutons to make this even more delicious.