The heat of summer is upon us (some of us, at least), and that calls for cold soup. Now, most New England soups that I’ve tasted are bisques and chowders — clam, lobster, mixed fish — but never a tomato soup, and definitely not a cold one. Don’t call it gazpacho, it’s: Senator Ted Kennedy’s Iced Tomato Soup.
Chef Ted Kennedy
Democratic Senator from Massachusetts
As always, I followed the recipe word for word from the second Kennedy we’ve featured here, no alterations:
INGREDIENTS
6 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
1 cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Combine tomatoes, onion, water, salt and pepper in a saucepan; cook over moderate heat 5 minutes.
Yes, water. Not olive oil. Not butter. Just water.
2) Combine tomato paste with flour and add to tomatoes with chicken bouillon. Simmer gently 3 minutes.
3) Rub mixture through a fine sieve.
I used the back of a wooden spoon to repeatedly rub the mixture through the sieve, and it kills me that these solids — just onions, tomatoes, tomato paste and flour — go to waste in this recipe.
4) Chill several hours.
Okay I saved the solids. I’ll make a saganaki with it or something. Can’t stand the waste.
5) Before serving, add cream. Season to taste with salt. Garnish with a thin tomato slice if desired. Serves 6.
Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the CwC Instagram or TikTok. I wish the tomato slice floated on top, but frankly, the soup isn’t very thick. Even with heavy cream, it’s watery and thin, and so the tomato sank a bit. Still, just look at that beautiful light salmon color! Now, there’s no ice in this iced tomato soup, but it’s still cold. Cold and smooth, like a tomato smoothie. Enjoy it with a lobster roll on the beach in Cape Cod.
Verdict:
Bland. Maybe the whitest food I’ve ever tasted? That’s saying a lot. The lack of spices, butter, olive oil…it definitely leaves you wanting more than this tomatomilk.