Yellow Tomato Soup with Cilantro Relish

Yellow tomatoes used to be an exotic fringe item at the end of the summer, but with the focus on local organic farm products, by the end of July yellow tomatoes are right up there with the red ones. They show up about the same time and share the space on farm stand counters.

On the other hand, while it is possible to pick up baskets of red seconds for making sauce and soup, yellow rarely shows up that way, so making yellow tomato soup is still something special. Both the color and the flavor make this soup unusual.

Unlike last weeks no-cooking gazpacho, this soup starts out by getting its flavor from cooking the seasoning, and then adding the other ingredients. Once everything is cooked, the soup goes into the blender, and then to the refrigerator. The cilantro-red tomato relish can be made any time.

Ingredients

For the Soup

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 ½ tsp minced garlic

6 large yellow tomatoes cut into cubes

2 cups water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 Tbsp lemon juice

For the Relish

1 medium red tomato, seeded and diced\

½ cup finely chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp minced jalapeno, or to taste

Soup Directions

1. Briefly toast the coriander and cumin seeds in the soup pot until they become fragrant and lightly brown. Be careful not to burn seeds.
2. Add olive oil and cook chopped onion and garlic until translucent. Do not brown; add a tablespoon of water if necessary.
3. Add tomatoes and cook five minutes.
4. Add remaining soup ingredients and cook 30 minutes.
5. Puree in blender or food processor.
6. Chill soup until serving.

Relish Directions

In a small bowl, combine all the relish ingredients. Adjust salt and pepper in soup and serve garnished with relish.