This recipe can be made any time of the year because it uses canned tomatoes, a very very good reason to can (or freeze) your bounty in late summer or early fall. Get it done just so you can have some summer in January with this recipe!
Ingredients:
• 2 quarts of canned tomatoes (or use 8 cups diced fresh tomtoes, peel and seed if desired)
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large cucumber – remove most of the peel if waxed plus seeds, dice into small pieces so you have approximately 2 cups
• 1 yellow sweet pepper – remove seeds, then cut into small dice
• 1 orange sweet pepper – remove seeds, then cut into small dice
• 1 red sweet pepper – remove seeds, then cut into small dice (may also substitute roasted red pepper)
• 4-6 garlic cloves – cut into very small dice (spicy or mild – your choice!)
• 1 jalapeno pepper – remove seeds, then cut into very small dice
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of the pepper mill)
• unflavored yogurt
• fresh herbs of choice, chopped small (I used a mix of chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram)
Directions:
• Blend first quart of tomatoes quite well, so that seeds and tomatoes are pureed
• Blend second quart only slightly so that the tomatoes are still a bit chunky
• Transfer both quarts of blended tomatoes to a large soup pot or serving bowl and add all remaining ingredients except herbs and yogurt.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cool several hours, however if possible make the day before to allow flavors to blend.
• Serve with a dollap of yogurt and a sprinkle of herbs.
This recipe easily makes 3-4 quarts of soup and serves a crowd, or lasts well for lunches of snacks all week long. Note: it does not freeze well, so enjoy it now while there are fresh tomatoes or make again in January for a summer reprise when you have quart jars of locally grown tomatoes to use. Yes, yes, I know that most of us will need to buy cucumbers grown somewhere else in January for this special treat!
Dick and Diana Dyer – “Shaping our future from the ground up” at
The Dyer Family Organic Farm/Dickʼs ʻPretty Good!ʼ Garlic
Your Local Garlic Growers in Ann Arbor, MI (40 varieties in 2012!)
Recipe from Dianaʼs blog www.dianadyer.com