If you're skeptical of the whole idea of "cold soups," you're not alone: The very concept of fruit (or, worse, vegetable) soups, save the ubiquitous gazpacho, conjures images of smoothies you eat with a spoon. I don't even like smoothies after a workout (too sweet, too cold—and we'll talk about my anti-fruit stance some other time), so you can probably imagine how much I typically enjoy cold soups as part of a summer meal.

But I'm starting to amend that close-minded attitude—thanks in large part to the fact that the 50 or so food blogs I read every day (really) have turned their attention to chilled soups in earnest. The overall effect is that my repertoire of chilled-soup options has expanded far beyond the banal strawberry-and-balsamic combos of a half-decade ago to include recipes that are savory, tart, tangy—and even, in limited instances, sweet.

The biggest tell if you're trying to decide whether a cold soup is for you: Would you eat a hot version of this? If it's cold corn soup, ask yourself: Do I like corn chowder? If it's gazpacho, ask: Do I like tomato soup? If you aren't a fan of the basic ingredients, they won't, with rare exceptions, be magically transformed by rawness, pureeing, or chilling. Here, including one of those magical exceptions, are a few of my favorites.

Chilled Avocado and Coriander Soup, adapted from The Travelers' Lunchbox

[FoodNerd note 1: Duh. Who doesn't like avocados? And if you're among the largish group of folks who think fresh coriander tastes like soap (see, for example, "I Hate Cilantro, an anti-cilantro community") just substitute a little more fresh mint.

FoodNerd note 2: The original recipe calls for a garnish of pomegranate seeds, which seems to me a) superfluous (can anybody really taste those things in such small quantities?), b) labor-intensive (a quick-ish, but still time-consuming, method for removing them can be found here) and b) kind of gross (sorry, but the texture of pomegranate seeds reminds me of fetal grapes). But if you want it, go for it—as much as you want.]

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 leek, white part only, chopped

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 liter (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or harissa

3 ripe avocados juice of

1 lime

large handful fresh mint leaves, chopped

large bunch cilantro (fresh coriander), leaves separated from stalks, chopped

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

salt and pepper

Over medium heat, saute the onion and leek in 2 tablespoons until they are translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute or so. Add the stock, cayenne pepper, and mint and coriander stalks, and simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool until lukewarm.

Halve the avocados, scoop out the flesh and add to the soup along with the cilantro leaves, lime juice and remaining olive oil. Puree everything with a stick blender, regular blender, or food processor.

Stir in the yogurt, adjust the seasoning, and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

Swirl in another dollop of yogurt just before serving.

Tomato Soup with Pomodoro, adapted from Mark Bittman

[FoodNerd note: Sorry for all the Bittman love here, but the man truly is a genius of fresh, basic home cooking.]

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 dried red chili, optional

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cored, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

2 cups stock, or strained tomato liquid, or water, or a combination

1/2 loaf (or more) day-old French or Italian bread, torn or cut into cubes

1/2 cup torn or roughly chopped basil leaves

Warm oil over medium heat in a large, deep saucepan or casserole. A minute later, add onion, garlic and dried chili, if using.

Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and golden and onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break up, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add liquid, stir in bread and simmer for a minute more. Take pot off heat, check seasonings and let sit until bread is saturated with soup, about 10 minutes. Chill soup in refrigerator at least two hours. (Soup can also be served warm after bread is saturated.) Check seasonings, stir in basil, portion soup into bowls, and garnish with a drizzle of oil and more freshly ground black pepper.


Elixir of Fresh Peas, adapted from Deborah Madison's excellent cookbook Local Flavors

[FoodNerd note: This cookbook, which focuses on seasonal ingredients that can be obtained from farmers' markets around the nation, was ahead of its time in 2002. Now it makes perfect sense. I make this soup—which relies on the freshest, most perfect peas you can find, preferably picked moments before preparation from your own garden—only a couple of times a year, because anything less than the Platonic pea ideal would diminish the perfection of the sublimely simple preparation].

1 bunch scallions, 2 small leeks, or a few spring onions, including 2 inches of the greens, thinly sliced 5 large parsley stems, with leaves

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds English pod peas, bright green and moist looking

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh onions or young leeks

1/2 teaspoon sugar Truffle oil, a few drops per bowl, optional

Bring 1 quart water to a boil. As it's heating, add the scallions, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add about 3 cups of pea pods as you shell them. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain. Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the sliced onion. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, then add 1/2 cup of the stock so that the onions stew without browning.

After 4 to 5 minutes, add the peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree at high speed for 1 minute. Pour into small soup bowls and serve immediately, adding a few drops of truffle oil to each bowl if desired.



Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Chives and Proscuitto, adapted from CookThink

[FoodNerd note: This is the rare recipe that transcends its ingredients, at least for me. Although I'm OK with cantaloupe (and I LOVE proscuitto), the melon doesn't exactly blow me away... but in this simple combination, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.)

1 large, ripe cantaloupe

Splash lime juice

4 slices prosciutto, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Chunk up the cantaloupe flesh and puree it in a food processor with a splash of lime juice until it's smooth and free of lumps.

Chill in the refrigerator in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, chop the prosciutto and chives. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chives, proscuitto, and black pepper to taste.

Chilled Red Bell Pepper and Habanero Soup, adapted from Gourmet

[FoodNerd note: I love the way the cold and hot tones of this soup play with one another on the tongue.]

4 medium red bell peppers

2 lb tomatoes

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 to 6 fresh habanero chiles, finely chopped (2 to 3 Tbsp), stems and seeds discarded

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Roast bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat (or on a broiler pan about 2 inches from broiler), turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel, then halve lengthwise, discarding stems and seeds.

Cut a shallow X in bottom of each tomato, then blanch tomatoes in simmering water 20 seconds and transfer to an ice bath. Peel and coarsely chop, reserving juices.

Cook onion, garlic, chiles, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in 2 Tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and pale golden, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, bell peppers, broth, and 1/4 tsp salt and simmer, covered, until peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.

Pureé soup in 2 or 3 batches in a blender, drizzling remaining 1/4 cup oil into first batch with motor running. Chill soup in refrigerator for an hour or two, until cold, garnish with salt, and serve.