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If you asked me to tell you my favorite summer food, the answer would absolutely be the tomato! Some of my earliest food memories revolve around snacking on sliced tomatoes with my grandfather. A few summers ago, I was perusing Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard, where I came across a soup that served as my inspiration for this dish.

Oddly enough my love for tomato never transferred to tomato soup. That is, until I tried Vivan’s soup, of course. I have made numerous versions of this soup, and this one is my favorite, as it works as both a chilled soup (the version of which you see below) or as a warm sauce with a dish like my fried catfish (catfish post coming soon!)

A side note on “real” vs “fake” tomatoes:

Yes- I do realize that out of season tomatoes are not “fake”. However, this was my grandfather’s term for anything other than a vine ripened summer tomato, and what can I say, the term stuck with me. Really, he was correct though; there is a huge difference between a fresh in season tomato, and a greenhouse grown winter one. This is why in my previous post on BLT’s, I referred to ripe delicious tomatoes as the sign that summer has truly begun. There is nothing wrong with a tomato that has been grown in a green house or through hydroponics, and I do use them myself in certain recipes in a pinch. However in dishes where the tomato is the star (like this soup) if you use a “fake” one, you simply will not get the same amazing flavors.

A brief history of tomato soup:

Although there is some evidence linking tomato soup back to Florida as early as the late 1660’s, tomato soup as we know it didn’t really take shape until the 1840’s. One of the first published recipes in the US can be found in the book Kentucky Housewife by Lettice Brown, written in 1841. The invention of the popular canned condensed tomato soup that many of us grew up with, is credited with giving tomato soup is place in the mainstream American diet . Joseph Campbell and his nephew made the first can of condensed tomato soup in 1897, and the rest is history.

Here is what you need: Serves 2 as a soup or 4 as a sauce:

• 2 cups sun gold tomatoes

• 1/2 white onion, diced

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (I prefer Bourbon Barrel Foods)

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons butter milk (full fat preferred)

For the Garnish:

• Fresh corn, about 1 cobs worth

• 1 small pickling cucumber, fine dice

• Small bunch chive, chopped

• Olive oil

Lets make some soup:

• In a medium sauce pan or dutch oven heat olive oil over medium. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook for roughly 10 minutes, or until onions are translucent

• Add the tomatoes, smoked paprika, and water. Crank the heat up to high to bring to a rapid boil, then lower to a steady simmer.

• Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half and the tomatoes are bursting (roughly 30 minutes).

• Transfer the contents of the pan as well as the vinegar, buttermilk, and heavy cream into a blender. Blend until smooth.

• Pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer into a heat proof bowl and chill.

• To serve, divide the soup between two bowls. Spoon the cucumbers and corn gently on the top of soup, sprinkle the chives over the top, and add a few drops of olive oil.

• Enjoy!

Side Note: Any summer veggie works great as a garnish in this soup. Feel free to add as many as you like to your taste. I served the corn raw in this plating but it could be roasted and chilled before serving as well.