Recipe: Fresh Tomato and Corn Soup

FRESH TOMATO AND CORN SOUP

"This soup is simple but labor intensive. If you want to immerse yourself in the summery, sensory experience of peeling fresh tomatoes and scraping kernels off of corn cobs, you won't regret it. This is an appealing accompaniment to a late summer meal of grilled vegetables and veggie burgers."

3 pounds flavorful tomatoes
1 tablespoon light olive oil
4 to 6 ears fresh corn, uncooked
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 to 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring water to a simmer in a soup pot. Add the whole tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and drain.

When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins, chop them into bite-size pieces, and set aside.

Scrape the corn kernels off of the cobs and set them aside.

Heat the oil in the same soup pot. Add the onion and saut over medium heat until golden, then add the corn kernels and enough fresh water to cover. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently until the corn is just tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and parsley. Return to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup stand until just warm, and serve.

Makes 6 servings
Excerpted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas
Copyright 2001 by Nava Atlas. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.