Cool and refreshing, sometimes creamy and even hearty, cold soups are quick and easy to prepare. From gazpacho to cantaloupe, the opportunities for using fresh local produce are endless according to Deborah Madison, author of Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen (Broadway Books). In a recent interview with Edible Phoenix, she noted that avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and summer squash all make tasty summer soups. Although many of us may not think of soup as a summer option, Madison believes that soup is an all-season food. Whether it is served cold or at room temperature, soup is perfect for a warm weather meal.
“Freshness is important when making cold soup”, says Madison. “The epitome of fresh cold soup is to puree a tomato with ice, a little olive oil, lemon and salt.” What could be quicker or easier than that?
Madison recommends finishing cool soups based on spinach, greens, beets or tomatoes with a splash of vinegar or lemon to brighten up the flavor. She suggests adding a bit of ice to a room temperature soup to make it more refreshing. Stirring in salsa verde or intense fresh herbs will “wake up” single vegetable soups like tomato or zucchini.
“If your idea is to serve a soup at room temperature or chilled, you want to use olive oil or cream instead of butter because you’ll get little flecks of butter floating on the top of the soup if there’s a lot of butter in the mixture”, warns Madison.
To make summer soups a bit heartier, pureed grains and beans like farro, chickpea and barley can add creaminess. For more texture, Madison holds back some of the grain or bean before blending and then adds it back to the pureed soup. This technique makes the soup chewy, satisfying and filling but not too heavy.
Lentils are another unexpected summer soup ingredient. Madison is particularly fond of using lentils and sorrel together. “The lentils are rich and the sorrel is so lively. The two together make the soup sing.”
Garnishes and seasonings can transform a hot winter soup into a cool summer treat. For example, in her book Madison offers two versions of a Farro and Chickpea Soup. The winter hot version is made with bay leaves and stock and finished with a robust seasoning of Parmesan cheese and rosemary. The room temperature summer version is made with chopped fresh tomatoes and garnished with basil. The two soups are similar, but with a different intensity and flavor.
Although Madison does not offer any cold fruit soups in her newest cookbook, she has included them in previous books. She regards fruit soups as a complicated category because they can be savory or sweet, for an appetizer or dessert, depending on the ingredients.
Fruit soups usually do not require any cooking at all unless the fruit is not soft when ripe. Melons, peaches, apricots and cherries are good choices for cool summer fruit soups. Grill stone fruits to soften them and give the soup a more distinct flavor. Use fruit juices and wine as the liquid-cream for the fruit soups if you want something a bit more decadent. Sweeten the soups with honey or simple syrup if the fruit is not sweet enough on its own. Use herbs for interesting flavor combinations (basil with strawberry soup, for instance) and yogurt or sour cream for garnish.
The combinations are endless; the textures and flavors are enticing. Best of all, cool soups are a refreshing way to cope with the Valley’s summer heat!
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