The Greeks have legitimate claims on inventing western civilization, but we’re pretty sure that they didn’t invent tomato soup. But they might have perfected it, which doesn’t really surprise us given all the delicious tomatoes we ate while we were in Greece. After a hot, humid summer, we’re delighting in the kind of bright, fresh early fall days that New England is known for. That first hit of cool air always makes us start thinking about soup and this Greek recipe for tomato soup is a great way to use up the less gorgeous but still tasty end-of-season ripe tomatoes. It makes a rich and satisfying soup that has only the most remote kinship with the stuff that comes in cans. We like our soup a little chunky, so we let it sit overnight in the refrigerator so that the orzo soaks up more liquid and achieves a nice toothy texture.

GREEK TOMATO SOUP WITH ORZO

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Greek olive oil plus extra for drizzling
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
pinch of sea salt
3 pounds ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup dried orzo pasta
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and pinch of sea salt. Stir well and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaves, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes start falling apart, about 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and purée the soup. (An immersion blender works wonders here.) Leave soup just a little chunky, with little streaky bits of fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring soup back to a simmer before stirring in the orzo. Stir often to keep orzo from sticking as you cook the soup another 8-10 minutes.

Place a 1 ounce disk of goat cheese in each of four broad soup bowls. Ladle soup over the cheese. Drizzle a little green Greek olive oil across the surface before serving.