Tomato soup from EAT. COOK. L.A. courtesy of Eric Greenspan of Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese in Melrose.
The ingredients are basic: tomatoes, basil, copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, water, sriracha, salt and sugar. Throw them all in a pot, let simmer for 45 minutes, puree, strain, serve.
What surprised me was the flavour. I expected it to be a bit harsh, considering the amount of basil and garlic. I wasn’t worried about the spice level, but I suspected that the 1 cup of olive oil for 5 large tomatoes might give it a bit of an oily mouthfeel. The finished soup had a delicate flavour, mildly accentuated with the basil and garlic, and a creamy mouthfeel that made you think of a really good cream of tomato soup. I only made half a recipe because I wasn’t sure what the finished product was going to be like. I’m going to make a full recipe later this week. It’s really, really nice. I did, however, use ripe, in-season tomatoes, freshly harvested garlic, freshly cut basil from the patio pots, and a very flavourful olive oil ( Frantoi Cutrera). When tomatoes are in season, this soup will appear on the table.
