Chilled Soup of Fresh Raw Tomatoes

According to notes, the recipe responsible for the"Fresh Tomato Soup," pictured above was copied from the July, 1991 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. A recent check of the magazine's web site, however, failed to turn up anything like it. Extensive surfing of the Internet proved similarly futile. A distinctive quality is the use of fresh raw tomatoes, and the ricotta cheese works great. Here's the recipe, which is too good to be getting lost in time.

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

4 pounds juicy, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt
1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plain yogurt
small mint sprigs for garnish

In a food processor, puree half the tomatoes until smooth. Strain the puree into a large bowl, pressing solids with a rubber spatula to extract the pulp and juices. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes. Discard the skins and seeds. Season the soup with the lemon juice and salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to 1 day. In a food processor, combine the ricotta and yogurt and puree until smooth,. Season with salt to taste. To serve, stir the soup and pour into 8 bowls. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture and a mint sprig.

Food & Wine Magazine, August, 1991