Summer Plans: Heirloom Tomato Soup

Chef Kristin Butterworth of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort loves a summer tomato!

Life “on the mountain,” as she describes her perch high up in the Alleghenies about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, is sweetest in the summer. Lush green woods and meadows are almost all that the eye can see – except for the possible interruption of a patch of sky or a glittering stream far down in a valley. What does a resident of this earthly paradise do? Grow. Cook. Eat. Relax. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it?

Chef Kristin also supervises all the food that happens at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, a 2,000-acre hospitality complex with three hotels, a series of luxury residences, a world-class spa, a golf club, five restaurants, a couple of bars, a team room and an ice cream parlor. And a private airstrip. And that’s not even a complete list. We can’t even talk about the art collection, the shops, the hiking or the horseback riding. But we can share the day we spent contemplating summer food with Chef Kristin, who says, “Summer for me means the triumphant return of green, raw and simple ingredients where you allow peak-season flavors to shine with minimal changes and enhancements. They don’t need much to make them glow.”

Heirloom Tomato Soup

This combination of tender heirloom tomatoes dusted with feta and fried basil and flooded with a savory soup cooked low and slow, melts across the palette. It’s pure sunshine.

Makes 5 quarts

1 large onion, diced

¼ cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped

12 heirloom tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

5 ½ cups water

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

1 cup heavy cream

In a large saucepan or stockpot, sauté the onions in the olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer and then add the tomatoes. Season at this point with salt and pepper. Allow the tomatoes, onions, and garlic to cook over low heat until the tomatoes begin releasing water and break down, approximately 1 hour.

Stir in the water, bring to a simmer and then reduce heat and allow cooking for 2 hours. Season again with salt and pepper at this point. This will allow the flavor to build and the tomatoes to fully cook. Once the vegetables have had time to cook, remove from heat and place in a blender with basil, blending small batches at a time until completely smooth. Strain the soup through a chinois or sieve. Add the heavy cream and reheat to order.

Fried Basil

Serves 6

1 qt salad oil

1/2 lb basil, picked

½ tsp salt

Heat salad oil on the stove or in a small deep fryer to 325 degrees. Place the picked basil leaves in the hot oil and fry very briefly until crispy and translucent in appearance. Season with salt immediately after removing from the oil. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes before using. Cool and reserve the oil for basil oil.

Basil Oil

Serves 6

1 qt salad oil from fried basil

½ tsp salt

1 500 mg vitamin C tablet

1/2 lb basil, picked

Place the cold oil used for frying the basil in a blender with the salt and vitamin C and blend until salt and tablet are dissolved.

Once dissolved, slowly start adding the picked basil to the oil, blending on high, until all the basil is incorporated. (If the basil isn’t the prettiest, add spinach to the oil to improve the color.)

Remove the oil from the blender and strain through a coffee filter in a sieve.

STORY AND PROP STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/ RECIPE AND FOOD BY CHEF KRISTIN BUTTERWORTH, NEMACOLIN WOODLANDS RESORT

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