Garden Variety

by Mark R. Vogel

Some cooks peel their tomatoes and some do not. I think peeling them allows for a smoother soup. Others also seed the tomatoes but this can result in the loss of much of their juice, a vital liquid base for the soup.

If you must seed the tomatoes, do so over a sieve above a bowl so you can capture the juice. Another option is the addition of canned tomato juice.

I assume some people add this to make the soup more fluid. But canned tomato juice completely undermines the spirit of this soup, which in my mind is capturing the essence of fresh, unprocessed vegetables. Water and/or ice cubes are also sometimes used as thinners but they will dilute the flavors somewhat.

If you desire a soup with a finer texture there are better alternatives to canned tomato juice or water. The first is to increase the time the ingredients spend in the food processor.

If this is not smooth enough, you can then push the soup through a fine sieve.

Depending on the heat level you desire, you can eliminate or increase the jalapenos, or switch to an even hotter pepper such as serranos.

Poblanos, which contribute negligible heat, can be replaced by bell pepper if you like.

FRIED ZUCCHINI