“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
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GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP
Ingredients
Golden Vegetable Soup
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup roughly sliced shallots
- 1 tablespoon roughly sliced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 cup roughly chopped orange bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf
- parsley
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups roughly chopped orange tomatoes
- 2 cups roughly chopped peeled English cucumber
- Green jalapeño Tabasco sauce
Garnishes
- 6 boiled and peeled new potatoes cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 boiled and peeled golden beets cut into bite-size pieces
- 6 blanched pattypan squash cut into bite-size pieces
- 6 ground cherries pitted
- 12 blanched and peeled golden cherry tomatoes
- Basil flowers or leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil to 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.
Notes
Excerpted from Langdon Hall by Jason Bangerter and Chris Johns. Copyright © 2022 by Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa. Photography © 2022 Colin Faulkner. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.