3. GRILLED LATE-SEASON TOMATO SOUP IN BACON, GARLIC AND CROUTONS

serves six


8 large tomatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
2 leeks (7 ounces), diced
1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), died
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups chicken broth, heated
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked bacon
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 slices sourdough bread, each cut 1/2 inch thick, brushed with olive oil
1 whole clove garlic, peeled

Prepare a wood or charcoal fire.

Grill the tomatoes whole, without coring them, over a moderately hot wood fire. Allow them to take as much smoke as possible and let their skins get fairly dark. The tomatoes should feel soft all over. Provided the skin remains intact, they will begin to bubble and release little puffs of steam, an indication that heat has penetrated to the center. Carefully transfer the tomatoes to a platter and let them cool.

While the tomatoes are grilling, in a soup pot sweat the leaks, onion, and garlic in the olive oil, covered, until they release their juices and begin to soften. Remove the lid, raise the heat, and let brown. Pour the hot chicken broth over the vegetables, heat to just under the boiling point, and turn off the heat. Cover the pot.

Over a bowl, remove the cores and as much of the skin as possible from the tomatoes. Break the tomatoes up into rough pieces by hand and let the juice and pulp fall into the bowl. Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Slice the bacon crosswise into small pieces. In a small pan, simmer the bacon and red wine together for 5 minutes, then add to the soup. Add the cayenne, vinegar, and salt, and turn the heat on very low.

While the soup is warming, grill the bread over the wood fire until it is nicely browned on both sides. Rub the bread on one side with the garlic clove. Put one slice of the bread in each warm bowl and ladle the hot soup over it. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters. New York: Random House, Inc., 1988, pp. 143-144