Smoke Signals

I'm used to smoking meats over long periods of time on my grill, using time-honored barbecue and smoking techniques. But I never smoked a vegetable (well, technically a fruit).

Then I came across a recipe for Smoked Tomato Soup that intrigued me. Actually, I was intrigued for two reasons. First - the recipe really sounded good. It was a great new wrinkle on the standard tomato soup. Second, I owned a stove top smoker that I had yet to use. It had been sitting on my equipment shelf for well over a year, primarily the result of a failed attempt at online retailing.

This recipe also gave me the opportunity to use my new Vita-Mix blender to its full potential. So gadget-happy me was -- well -- happy,

In studying the recipe, I was somewhat leery of the direction that only two of the 10 Roma tomatoes made it into the smoker. But that's why I prepare every recipe in advance before we begin our taping sessions. I've gone into some taping sessions cold and held up the production process because of unforeseen problems that crept up because I was not as familiar with a recipe as I should have been.

So my sous chef Josh and I made the recipe exactly as written and we were each blown away by the overall flavor and texture of the soup and we were equally amazed at the amount of smoky flavor that had been imparted by just two Romas, seeded and cut in half.

There was another aspect of this recipe that I enjoyed, as well, and that was that in its final form (served chilled) it resembled a smooth gazpacho. I know that it would be equally refreshing on a hot summer's night. It tasted pretty darned good heated, too, and I loved the versatility that presented.

Let me take a moment here to tell you about my experience with stovetop smoking. I got this smoker more than a year ago, as I mentioned above. It came with an assortment of wood chips (really, they're more like shavings) -- the usual flavors: hickory, oak, apple, and cherry.

So I soaked about a half cup of the hickory, put it in the bottom of the smoker, put the rack on top, then the four tomato halves. The top just slides on and makes a fairly tight seal. As a precaution, we turned on the exhaust system because I wanted to avoid setting off the smoke alarm. Surprising, no smoke leaked from the smoker until I slid open the top.

What I found was another way to peel tomatoes! The skin had begun to shrivel and just slid right off, leaving the smoke-infused pulp. Then you just add them to the other eight tomatoes that had been cooked with a few other flavorful ingredients (see the recipe below).

Now just one more thing about this smoker - and this could be worth your while to read this paragraph. Despite my failed attempt at becoming a culinary products e-tailer, I maintained a relationship with the sales manager at the company that makes these stovetop smokers. They've got quite an extensive line of other culinary products, but this is the one I want to call to your attention. My friends at Cameron's Products were appreciative of my featuring their product on my television show. So as a gesture to my subscribers and blog followers, you can buy a stovetop smoker and get 10% off the price, plus free shipping if you use the discount code: KITCHENGUY. Go to the Cameron's Products website and check it out. This offer expires Oct. 15, 2013.

Here's the video, followed by the recipe:

1/4 cup Hickory wood chips
10 large Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large leek, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp finely grated horseradish
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 pinch sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil for garnish

Scatter wood chips in a cast iron skillet and cover tightly. Heat chips over moderately high heat until smoking. (Alternatively, use a stovetop smoker, as shown in the video. If you would like to purchase the stovetop smoker as seen in this video, you will receive a 10% discount and free shipping if you order before Oct. 15, 2013. Go to the Cameron's Products website to order.

Halve and seed 2 tomatoes and roughly chop the remaining tomatoes. Place 4 tomato halves on a rack and set the rack in the cast iron skillet or stove top smoker. Cover and smoke the tomatoes for at least 3 minutes or until just softened. Transfer the smoked tomatoes to a plate, reserve to cool, then peel off the skin.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan until shimmering, Add onion and leek to pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add coriander seeds, garlic, bay leaves and horseradish and cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, including smoked tomatoes, along with chicken (or vegetable) stock and sugar to pan. Cover and cook over moderate heat until tomatoes are softened, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Remove to a blender to puree. Transfer to a clean pot to heat. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with basil.

This soup is also excellent when served chilled like a gazpacho.