For a truly delectable and creamy tomato soup, delicately flavoured and magical, it must be made with luscious and fresh garden tomatoes, ripened until soft and yielding and bursting with juice. Use anything else and this recipe will be but a pale reflection of what it should. Use those gorgeous and incomparable beauties from your garden or the farmer’s market however, and you’ll never want to look at a can of condensed tomato soup again. Ever. Period.

Yield : 1 serving (feel free to scale up!)

What you need:

• 1 large or very large juicy, ripe, fresh, garden tomato; cored and cut into wedges or chunks (no need to peel – we’re dealing with primo produce here!)
• 2 small scallions, white and light green parts only; chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• salt

What you do:

1. Place the chopped tomato, scallion and lemongrass in a small saucepan with a sprinkle of salt. Heat over medium flame until bubbling and then simmer on medium-low, covered, until the tomato loses its raw colour and becomes highly fragrant – about 8 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture from the saucepan to a blender (high-speed if you want things ultra creamy) and add the coconut milk. Blend, taste, and adjust with salt to desired level. Blend again. Taste.
3. Serve.

Variations:

• A bit of fresh ginger works nicely in this if you like;
• A sprinkle of curry powder can also a nice addition;
• Or add some freshly chopped hot pepper to the simmer pot; or hot pepper sauce when you blend;
• …or be daring and do all three!
• Instead of eating this as a soup, feel free to serve it as a sauce over noodles or grains.