I had some tomatoes in the refrigerator that needed to be used up and fast, so what better than a chilled soup on a hot summer’s day? JT doesn’t like raw onions so I always make this soup cooked and then cool it down. JT gave this one a 9.5/10! The balsamic gives the soup a sweetness but because you reduce it, there isn’t the sharpness!
Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a small cup Appetizer
Ingredients Soup
- 1/2 an onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp E.V. Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 450 g chopped tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100 g finely diced celery
- Sea salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cup beef broth (I always use low sodium)
Directions Soup
- Place olive oil and onions in a medium saucepan (not cast iron), and sweat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until the balsamic is reduced.
- Add garlic, celery and beef broth and cook until everything is soft.
- Purée with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Force through a fine mesh sieve to remove tomato skins and seeds.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill for several hours.
Ingredients Garnish
- 60 g celery finely diced
- 6 cherry tomatoes (these were from my tomato garden) finely diced
- 1 small radish finely diced
- 1 small garlic very finely chopped (or on a microplane)
- 3-4 sprigs each parsley and basil finely chopped
- 1 medium leaf mint finely chopped
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 tsp crumbled feta per plate
Directions Garnish
- Mix all ingredients together and set aside to allow flavours to develop (1/2-1 hr should be enough).
- Pour soup into bowls, and spoon garnish onto centre (some will sink, but then you can build it up so the garnish shows in the centre).
- Add crumbled feta. Drizzle with olive oil if you wish.
- Enjoy!
