"Iced Tomato Soup" by Senator Ted Kennedy

The heat of summer is upon us (some of us, at least), and that calls for cold soup. Now, most New England soups that I’ve tasted are bisques and chowders — clam, lobster, mixed fish — but never a tomato soup, and definitely not a cold one. Don’t call it gazpacho, it’s: Senator Ted Kennedy’s Iced Tomato Soup.

Chef Ted Kennedy

Democratic Senator from Massachusetts

As always, I followed the recipe word for word from the second Kennedy we’ve featured here, no alterations:

INGREDIENTS

6 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp flour

2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 2 cups boiling water

1 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Combine tomatoes, onion, water, salt and pepper in a saucepan; cook over moderate heat 5 minutes.

Yes, water. Not olive oil. Not butter. Just water.

2) Combine tomato paste with flour and add to tomatoes with chicken bouillon. Simmer gently 3 minutes.

3) Rub mixture through a fine sieve.

I used the back of a wooden spoon to repeatedly rub the mixture through the sieve, and it kills me that these solids — just onions, tomatoes, tomato paste and flour — go to waste in this recipe.

4) Chill several hours.

Okay I saved the solids. I’ll make a saganaki with it or something. Can’t stand the waste.

5) Before serving, add cream. Season to taste with salt. Garnish with a thin tomato slice if desired. Serves 6.

Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the CwC Instagram or TikTok. I wish the tomato slice floated on top, but frankly, the soup isn’t very thick. Even with heavy cream, it’s watery and thin, and so the tomato sank a bit. Still, just look at that beautiful light salmon color! Now, there’s no ice in this iced tomato soup, but it’s still cold. Cold and smooth, like a tomato smoothie. Enjoy it with a lobster roll on the beach in Cape Cod.

Verdict:

Bland. Maybe the whitest food I’ve ever tasted? That’s saying a lot. The lack of spices, butter, olive oil…it definitely leaves you wanting more than this tomatomilk.