“At the height of summer, when so many golden vegetables—golden beets, golden tomatoes, yellow pattypan squash and golden potatoes—are at their peak and super ripe and tasty, this simple chilled soup is a great way to get a real taste of the season. Garnish this with a few basil flowers or leaves, some good-quality cold-pressed canola or extra-virgin olive oil and a little bit of sea salt and you’re ready to go. This soup is equally delicious served hot.” – Langdon Hall by Jason Bangerter and Chris Johns, Penguin Canada
Author By Jason Bangerter and Chris John, authors of Langdon Hall
Ingredients
Golden Vegetable Soup
1/2cupolive oil
1cuproughly sliced shallots
1tablespoonroughly sliced garlic
1/2teaspoonminced peeled fresh ginger
1cuproughly chopped orange bell pepper
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonfreshly ground white pepper
1/2cuplightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2cuplightly packed fresh flat-leaf
parsley
1/2cupdry white wine
4cupsroughly chopped orange tomatoes
2cupsroughly chopped peeled English cucumber
Green jalapeño Tabasco sauce
Garnishes
6boiled and peeled new potatoescut into bite-size pieces
3boiled and peeled golden beetscut into bite-size pieces
6blanched pattypan squashcut into bite-size pieces
6ground cherriespitted
12blanched and peeled golden cherry tomatoes
Basil flowers or leaves
Extra-virgin olive oilto drizzle
Sea salt
Instructions
FOR THE GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger and bell pepper and gently cook without browning, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper. Tie the basil and parsley into a sachet using cheesecloth and butcher’s twine. Add the white wine and herb sachet to the saucepan and reduce the wine by two-thirds. Stir in the tomatoes and cucumber and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Remove the herb sachet and squeeze as much liquid as possible back into the saucepan. Discard the herb sachet. Strain the liquid into another container, reserving it for adjusting the consistency of the soup.
In a high-speed blender, purée the vegetables, adding enough of the liquid in a slow, steady stream while blending to achieve a smooth, velvety consistency. When processed, adjust the seasoning with a splash of jalapeño Tabasco sauce and more salt, if required. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and chill over ice. The soup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
TO SERVE
Pour the soup into chilled soup bowls. Gently place the prepared potatoes, beets, squash, ground cherries and golden cherry tomatoes into the soup. Finish with basil flowers or leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.