Using a whole tomato   as the serving vehicle for a hot or cold soup is a fun way to present the soup. As you eat the soup, you can cut into the tomato as well. In this recipe, the fried leeks add just the right amount of texture and zip to the garlic soup.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
4 large red tomatoes
Crispy Fried Leeks (recipe follows)
Roasted Garlic Puree (recipe follows)
4 cups Chicken Stock (recipe follows)
Salt and pepper

METHOD  Score the top of the tomatoes with a knife (creating an X), but do not core the tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes in boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and immediately shock the tomatoes in ice water. Carefully remove the skin, cut off the tops of the tomatoes, and hollow out the tomatoes.

Tip: Be careful not to make any holes in the sides or bottom of the tomatoes, or your soup will leak out. Discard the tops and the inner tomato pulp.

Puree the roasted garlic with the chicken stock and place in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium heat for 10 minutes or until hot, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan and roast at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until just hot.

Crispy Fried Leeks
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
2 cups very finely julienned leeks
Salt and pepper
Canola oil for frying

Fry the julienned leeks in the canola oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until crispy. (Cook them in batches.) Remove from the oil, blot on paper towels, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken stock
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours and 45 minutes
Yield: 2 quarts
6 pounds chicken bones
3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped leeks
1 tablespoon whole white peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Place all the ingredients in a large stockpot and cover three-fourths of the way with cold water (about 2 gallons).

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and slowly simmer for 4 hours, skimming every 30 minutes to remove the impurities that rise to the surface.

Strain and continue to cook over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes or until reduced down to about 2 quarts.

Roasted Garlic Puree
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Yield: About 3/4 cup
4 garlic bulbs, tops cut off
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Place the garlic in a small saucepan, cover with the milk, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the milk and then place the garlic bulbs bottom-side down in an ovenproof pan. Add the olive oil and cover the pan with a lid or foil. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the garlic bulbs are soft.

Cool the garlic and oil, squeeze the soft garlic out of the skins, and place in a blender with the olive oil in which you baked the garlic. Puree the garlic and oil until smooth.

Assembly  Place a tomato in the center of a shallow bowl or soup plate. Fill the tomato with the roasted garlic soup and sprinkle with the crispy fried leeks. (You should serve the tomato in a bowl so that you can eat it along with the soup.)

Alternative Assembly  Dice the tomatoes and place them in the bowl. Pour the hot soup over the tomatoes and sprinkle with the crispy fried leeks.

Copyright 1999 Charlie Trotter's.