Chilled Polish Tomato-Strawberry Soup Recipe

My modern take—combining strawberries with garlic and dill—may seem unusual, but the strawberries make a subtle complement to the tomato flavor. You can also replace the strawberries with watermelon, raspberries, cherries, apricots, or melon.

Adapted from Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland © Michał Korkosz, 2023. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.

For the soup:

• 1½ lb. tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup halved hulled strawberries
• ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 thick sourdough or baguette slice, torn
• Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• Dill flowers, for garnish (optional)

For the crispy garlic oil:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Pinch fine salt

Instructions

• Make the soup: In a large bowl, toss together the chopped tomatoes, strawberries, sour cream, vinegar, garlic, onion, bread, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until the bread is soft, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the garlic oil: To a small skillet over low heat, add the oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook until the garlic is soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour into a heatproof measuring cup and set aside. When cool enough to taste, season with salt.
• Transfer the tomato mixture to a food processor and blend until very smooth. With the food processor running on low, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until the soup is thick and velvety. Refrigerate until cold, 1–2 hours.
• To serve, divide the soup among four bowls. Top evenly with the cherry tomatoes, garlic oil, and dill flowers if desired.