A HARTE APPETITE: ALLURING SOUP MAKES MEAL MORE ELEGANT

"Of soup and love, the first is best," says an old Spanish proverb. An obvious overstatement, but it is true that soup can be alluring. And few things make a meal more elegant than a soup course, especially if the soup is properly garnished and served in style, say, in a crystal or silver cup, a hollowed out squash or other vegetable, or a bowl-shaped loaf of bread. I remember eating in San Francisco years ago at a Mexican restaurant that coordinated the soup color with the color of its serving container. Green cream of cilantro soup came in a wide-rimmed brilliant blue bowl and the effect was spectacular.

Now if you think soup is only for cold winter days, think again. Summertime can also be soup season if you serve vichyssoise, gazpacho, or meggykeszoce (Hungarian cold cherry soup), just three of many soups designed to be served chilled.

Though cold soups are typically appetizers, many can be a light entree or, in the case of fruit soups, even dessert. Thus, a thick gazpacho, hearty cold borscht, or icy avgolemono (a chilled version of the king of Greek soups) can easily be the centerpiece of a summer meal while a bowl of cantaloupe soup swirled together with honeydew melon soup can make a dazzling finale.

Not only are cold soups beautiful and flavorful, they are ridiculously easy to make. Many require no cooking, being simply whirred up in a blender or food processor. (For instance, you can make a perfectly credible soup just by combining three parts chopped melon or cucumber with one part yogurt.)

If you're looking for something special for your next summer party, consider chilled soup served in either goblet or bowl. And for cold soup that is truly unique, consider the following recipes.

Fruit Gazpacho

Traditional gazpacho from the Andalusia region of Spain contains tomatoes and cucumbers, among other things, but there are many variations such as green gazpacho, seafood gazpacho, and cranberry gazpacho. The Lodge at Koele on the island of Lanai in Hawaii where we stayed a few years ago makes gazpacho with pineapples and Maui onions. But the most inventive gazpacho recipe I know is this one from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato puree

3 cups fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons sugar

grated zest of 1 orange

grated zest of 1 lime

2 cups diced cantaloupe

2 cups diced honeydew melon

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 apple, peeled and diced

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup halved green or red seedless grapes

Directions:

Combine first eight ingredients and puree half the mixture in food processor. Stir puree back into remaining fruit mixture, add apple, blueberries, and grapes and refrigerate several hours. Serve garnished with strawberries and kiwi slices. Serves 8.

Sichuan Carrot Soup

The melange of flavors in this beautiful soup from Eating Well Magazine tastes rich, but it has only 4 grams of fat per serving.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups defatted chicken stock

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped

1 piece ginger (3/4-inch), peeled and chopped

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2-3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup skim milk

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and garlic and saute until softened. Add stock, carrots, ginger, and red-pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until carrots are very tender, 20-30 minutes. Strain mixture over a large bowl. Transfer solids to blender adding lime juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar, and sesame oil. Puree, adding cooking liquid as needed for a smooth consistency. Transfer puree to the bowl of cooking liquid, stir in milk, season with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serves 6.

Got a recipe you'd like to share with our readers? Are you looking for a recipe for something in particular? Send your recipes and requests to The Harte Appetite, c/o Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO., 63702-0699.

~Tom Harte is a professor at Southeast Missouri State University and writes a food column every other week for the Southeast Missourian.