Ottolenghi's Tomato and Sourdough Soup with Whipped Feta & Sumac Dip for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

It's still a bit steamy but summer is the height of tomato season so this Simple Tomato and Sourdough Soup recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, even though it's meant to be enjoyed warm, still feels like summer. I've paired with another Ottolenghi recipe for Whipped Feta and Sumac Dip since I was given some good feta cheese and wanted to put it in a recipe where it could shine.

Ottolenghi says, "My mom makes some mean tomato soups – this unassuming version is the best."

Tomato and Sourdough Soup
Slightly Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi via TheGuardian.com
(Serves 4)

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750ml vegetable stock (about 3 cups)
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
400 ml tin chopped Italian tomatoes (14-oz can)
1 Tbsp caster sugar
1 slice sourdough bread
2 Tbsp chopped coriander, plus extra to finish
Salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and sauté, stirring often, for five minutes, until translucent. Add the cumin and garlic, and fry for two minutes, then add the stock, both fresh and tinned tomatoes, sugar, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, adding the bread halfway through. Add the coriander, then pulse-blitz the soup a few times to break down the tomatoes a bit – you want them a little coarse and chunky. (This soup should be quite thick, but add a little water to thin it down if you prefer.) Serve drizzled with oil and garnished with fresh coriander. 

 

Many recipes for whipped feta recommend using a food processor to break down the cheese; I don’t bother. I find it is just as quick ​to use a bowl and whisk to whip the cheese, and creates less washing up.

Whipped Feta and Sumac Dip

From Yotam Ottolenghi via TheGuardian.com

(Serves 4 as a Dip)

200g feta cheese (about 7oz)

200g plain Greek yoghurt (about 7oz)

half a lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground sumac

pita bread and raw vegetables, to serve

Put the cheese and ​yoghurt in a mixing bowl and whisk until the cheese is completely broken up and becomes creamy. Add the lemon juice and mix again. Put the ​dip in a serving bowl and dress the surface with the olive oil and sumac. Serve with toasted pita bread and raw vegetables (such as carrots, cucumber, gem lettuce​, fennel, young parsnips with the core removed, beetroot, peppers).

Notes/Results: Simple but really delicious, the soup makes the most of the tomato flavor with the cumin seed and cilantro adding another layer of flavor. It also paired really well with the whipped feta. If you don't have sumac (I have a big jar thanks to Ottolenghi), you could easily add your favorite herb or spice to the whipped feta. I will happily make both recipes again.

Linking up this post for our Pool Party theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Soup may not scream pool party but the dip would be welcome I am sure. ;-)

 Let's look into the Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays Kitchen 

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought a cooling Cucumber Melon Gazpacho and says, "You know what they say, "cold soup is hot in the summer"! This chilled cucumber melon gazpacho is a perfect hot weather soup. The combination of sweet melon blended with juicy cucumber is light, not too sweet, and refreshing. Melon and cucumbers are really not a surprising combination. They both come from the same family called Cucurbitaceae, Both cucumbers and cantaloupe have a high water content, thus helping with hydration during the hot and humid summer months. In addition, cantaloupe is a great source of Vitamin C."

Thanks Judee for joining in this week!

About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 Have a happy, healthy week!