Chilled tomato soup with basil oil

In the Olympic Games for Vegetables & Fruit, Mr Tomato would take the decathlon gold medal. Without a doubt. Not only is it one of the most versatile ingredients a cook can have in the kitchen, but it is also amongst the most attractive contenders of the Games, and each plump fruit is a nutritional powerhouse.

Although a tomato's secret weapon is thought to lie in its colour, caused by the bright red carotenoid called lycopene, recent research shows that tomatoes' anti-oxidant and cancer-fighting effects are a result of the synergy between lycopene and the other photonutrients. Tomatoes contain almost half of your daily Vitamin C requirement, and are rich in Vitamin A, E, K, and B. They also contain potassium, manganese, copper and iron.


Here is my take on a hot weather favourite - chilled tomato soup. Tomatoes are available all year, but for the tastiest specimens, stick to the summer harvest. The addition of basil oil and avocado makes all the difference in the taste and texture of this soup, but also has a nutritional purpose. When eaten with foods high in fat (like cold-pressed oils, nuts & seeds, and avocados), fat-soluble lycopene is better absorbed by our bodies.

Serves 4

Ingredients
650g organic tomatoes, skins removed
1 small avocado, peeled and roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
5 spring (or salad) onions
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
a few slices of ripe mango (about 100g), peeled
freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of freshly ground rock salt
dash of Worcester Sauce
2 Tbsp cold-pressed basil-flavoured (or plain) olive oil
250ml/1 cup filter water

For the salsa
5 large basil leaves, finely shredded (a sharp pair of scissors works best)
1 tomato, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 a small avocado, finely chopped and drizzled with a little lemon juice
cold-pressed basil-flavoured olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. To skin your tomatoes, pour boiling water over them and leave to stand for about 1 minute. Then drain them and use a sharp paring knife to remove the skins. Cut each tomato in half and remove the fibrous core.
2. Mash the avocado with the lemon juice and zest. This will avoid oxidation.
3. For this recipe I have only used the white parts of the spring onion (in other words the bottom half). Do keep the green tops for the next salad you make.
4. Now blend all the ingredients, apart from the water and olive oil, in a liquidiser until smooth.
5. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a trickle and then thin the soup to your desired consistency with water. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill.
6. Shortly before serving, combine all the ingredients for the salsa and top each bowl of soup with a spoonful.