We’ve had record breaking heat in Seattle this summer.  Until yesterday, it had been over 80 degrees for over 2 weeks.  We North westerners  are not equipped for this. Most don’t have air conditioning, so we start to get surly from lack of good sleep.  We start dreaming about renting a hotel room, so we can have a/c for just a night, just one cool and quiet night.  Cooking is a problem too. Who wants to make dinner when its 80 degrees in your kitchen – and you just can’t grill another night! These problems lead to creative solutions.

One night after returning from a camping trip, I couldn’t bear the thought of firing up the stove or grilling another piece of anything.  I browsed my New York Times recipe app and found this beautiful cold tomato soup recipe, created by David Tanis.  I adapted it to accommodate what I had on hand, but if you want to see the original, you can find it here.

Here’s my riff on Cold Tomato Soup – Serves 4

For the soup:

2 lbs of ripe tomatoes, cored and diced                 2 large garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbs kosher salt                                                     1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs cider vinegar                                                  Black pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste (don’t be shy)

For the bruschetta

1/4 cup finely chopped onion                                     1 ripe avocado,  diced

1 tsp cider vinegar                                                     1 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs chopped scallions                                              salt and pepper to taste

4 pieces of toasted or grilled baguette

Put tomatoes and garlic in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add olive oil, vinegar, the black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and leave to macerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to an hour.

Pulse tomatoes in a food processor or blender until just crushed. Transfer to a strainer or food mill to remove skins and seeds, pressing well to obtain all the juices. You should have about 3-4 cups. Add enough ice water to yield4-5 cups. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning. Chill on a bowl of ice for 15 minutes or refrigerate for up to several hours.

For the avocado bruschetta, mash the onion, avocado, vinegar and parsley together. Season with salt and pepper. Add the scallions and mix well.

To serve, top toasts with the avocado. Place an avocado toast in each bowl and ladle in about 1 cup of chilled soup per serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of parsley.