In my little city greenhouse the tomatoes are finally ripening. This year the plums are a bit later than usual and this morning I picked both and decided to make a refreshing cold summer soup with plums and tomatoes. I don’t like my soup too sweet so I gave them a little turn on the grill for some smoky savoriness. I decorated my soup with purple basil and a few nasturtium flowers for some color. A little dash of olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper and salt flakes was all my summery grilled plum and tomato gazpacho needed.
Grilled plum and tomato gazpacho
Starter or lunch for 4
9 ripe plums
8 ripe tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
½ cucumber
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ old white (sourdough) slice of bread, cubed
2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar or another mild vinegar (or more to taste)
edible flowers and (purple) basil to decorate
Also needed: blender
1 Preheat a grill pan on high heat or light the barbecue.
2 Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Cut the tomatoes in half. Cut the pepper into pieces.
3 Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. You do not use these in the recipe. Cut the cucumber into pieces.
4 Brush 8 of the plums, the tomatoes and the pepper on all sides with a little of the olive oil and grill them on both sides for a few minutes until nice grill stripes appear.
5 Put the grilled plums, tomatoes and peppers together with the cucumber, the bread cubes and 2 tbsp vinegar in the blender and blend until smooth. Season with some extra vinegar, freshly ground pepper and salt if necessary.
6 Add the rest of the olive oil and blend briefly. Place in the refrigerator and let it cool thoroughly for about 1 hour. Preferably leave it overnight to let the flavors soak in. Check the consistency and top up with some water if the soup is too thick. Then season again with vinegar, pepper and salt.
7 Cut the last plum into small cubes. Serve the cold grilled plum and tomato gazpacho in bowls and decorate with the plum cubes, edible flowers and basil.
Looking for more tomato recipes? check HERE ? For more plum recipes please click HERE
