Cold aromatic soup with tomato and toasted bread

When the heat begins to arrive, we only want to eat light and fresh dishes, which help us combat the high temperatures, but without stopping eating well. For this reason I am always looking for new ideas. And the day I saw this cold aromatic soup with tomato and toasted bread, I fell at its feet.

It is a somewhat peculiar soup , but that is exactly what makes dishes like this one totally capture my attention. The recipe is from the book " Bar Tartine " that I am totally in love with and I recommend it without a doubt. I have made some changes in the ingredients to adjust the recipe to my possibilities.

The base of our soup

Those of you who know me will not find the ingredient that is the base of this cold soup strange. It is not the first time I have used it and it is thanks to this book. To carry it out we will prepare a konbu dashi broth . This broth consists of only three ingredients and the result is absolutely spectacular; water, konbu seaweed and katsuobushi (salted and dehydrated bonito flakes).

You can also make this broth with shiitake (if it is dehydrated it has more flavor), konbu, katsuobush i or a combination of all of them. In all cases the results will be magnificent. What I do recommend, within your possibilities, is that you do it at home. They sell dehydrated preparations... but there is no doubt that something made by ourselves is better than knowing what is in it.

Katsuobushi what is it?

Or also known as hanakatsuo (smaller) or kezurikatsuo (larger and thicker) is a food prepared from dried, fermented and smoked tuna or high altitude tuna. It can be found in a chip format and packaged in small bags. Katsuobushi is the base, along with konbu, of dashi broth, the base of many soups and sauces, such as miso soup or soba sauce.

It has umami due to its high content of inosinic acid that occurs thanks to hydrolysis and chemical reactions from yeasts or fish or meat extracts. This process can also occur naturally when food is allowed to cure.

Giving flavor and color

This cold soup has a really powerful and fascinating flavor thanks to the amount of aromatic herbs that we will use. In my case I have used basil, cilantro, dill and mint . But you can use all those you want. For example tarragon, sap, parsley, marjoram... Some of them are the ones used in the original recipe, but I couldn't find the day I went looking for them.

To enhance these aromas, we will accompany the soup with a touch of garlic and Serrano chili. In addition, we will add potatoes to give the soup a bit of body along with a touch of softness. Finally we will decorate with tomato, herbs and some toasted bread with Thai oil . A true delight.

Thai wok oil from La Tourangelle and Revol porcelain tureens

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

For soup:

• 600g konbu dashi stock (recipe below)
• 125g potato, peeled
• 15g fresh basil, just the leaves
• 12g fresh dill, stem removed
• 12g fresh coriander, just the leaves
• 6g mint, just the leaves
• 30g of young garlic
• 1/2 serrano chile, around 2gr
• 1 large garlic clove
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the konbu dashi broth:

• 1 liter of water
• 20g dried konbu seaweed
• 30g of katsuobushi

For the garnish:

• Aromatic herbs (cilantro, basil, dill and mint)
• 1 red tomato, good quality
• 1 green tomato
• 1-2 slices of bread
• thai oil
• 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Elaboration

Prepare the dashi broth

1. We clean the konbu seaweed and rehydrate the konbu seaweed in water for 25 minutes .
2. We put the water in a medium pot together with the seaweed over medium heat. We leave until it starts to bubble.
3. Remove the seaweed and add the dehydrated tuna flakes. We reduce the heat a little and leave for about 10 minutes . We will clean the foam surface as it appears.
4. Remove from heat and let sit until flakes begin to sink.
5. Strain and reserve.
6. The rest of the broth can be frozen in airtight containers.

We roast the potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC with heat up and down .
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices. Place on a tray lined with baking paper.
3. Drizzle with olive oil , season to taste and bake for 20 minutes or until tender.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the soup.

We prepare the soup

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water and salt, place over medium high heat, and bring to a boil.
2. Prepare a bowl with very cold water, from the refrigerator, and a couple of ice cubes. We booked.
3. Once the water starts to boil, add the aromatic herbs and blanch for 45 seconds . We will notice how they acquire a bright green color.
4. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with ice water. Leave for 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve on a plate.

We process the ingredients

1. In a food processor, add the konbu broth together with the aromatic herbs, the sliced ​​garlic, the chopped garlic sprouts and the chili.
2. We process until we obtain a smooth broth. I recommend doing it in batches of about 10 seconds so as not to overheat the blades and spoil the flavor of the aromatic herbs.
3. Add the roasted potatoes and process again, in batches, until smooth.
4. Pour the soup into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

we toast the bread

1. Spray 1-2 slices of bread with Thai oil and let it rest for a couple of minutes to absorb it well.
2. Place in the toaster or on a griddle and toast until it acquires a golden hue, but not burnt.
3. Remove from the toaster or griddle and let it rest for a couple of minutes before cutting it up.

we serve the soup

1. We distribute the soup in individual tureens like these from Revol .
2. We decorate the surface with aromatic herbs, slices of green and red tomato and a few pieces of toasted bread.
3. We have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar on the surface, a little ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Revol porcelain tureens , Pallarès carbon steel knife and Laura Ashley cotton tablecloth

Grades

• We can make the Konbu Dashi broth at home, as I show you in the preparation, or use a dehydrated preparation. I leave it to your choice.
• If you have leftover broth you can freeze it in an airtight container .
• If you do not want to use this type of broth , you can always replace it with a homemade meat or vegetable broth.
• By using a small amount of potato, if you do not plan to bake anything else, I leave you another way to cook them . Place a frying pan over medium heat, add a generous stream of olive oil and add the red potatoes. Let them brown on both sides. Pour half a glass of water, season to taste and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender .
• The aromatic herbs can be totally your choice . I've used these, but feel free to swap them out for whatever you have on hand that you like best.
• I used a slice of seeded sourdough bread, cut generously . I recommend using a good quality bread, since the flavor will be much better.
• Thai oil goes great with this soup , but you can also use hazelnut or walnut oil.
• If you make the soup in a very hot season , I recommend refrigerating the bowls for 30 minutes before serving the soup.
• We can refrigerate this soup in an airtight container for 2 days.

This cold aromatic soup with tomato and toasted bread will be a perfect option for hot days. We all really like gazpacho, but it never hurts to know more options.

We can leave it prepared in advance in the absence of serving it and assemble it either at lunch or dinner time. We can even serve it in small glasses as an appetizer with other things. We hope you like it and cheer up with it!