The following recipe is a supplement to the Dining feature "Orchard full of idealism, grit" and is reprinted with permission from Heidi Noble's Menus from an Orchard Table: Celebrating the Food and Wine of the Okanagan (Whitecap Books 2007, $34.95). All rights reserved.

I make this soup about three weeks a year when the yellow tomatoes in the garden and at the market are at the peak of their ripeness. Yellow tomatoes have the most amazing creamy texture when pureed. This soup is an exercise in summer simplicity, containing only five ingredients. It can be garnished with other small heirloom tomatoes that are in season at the same time or with a single ceviched spot prawn or scallop.

• 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) yellow tomatoes (preferably large heirloom like Dixie gold), washed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup (60 millilitres) rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped for garnish
• Small colourful heirloom tomatoes cut into interesting shapes for garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil for garnish

Place the tomato quarters in a blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil while the blender is still running. Add the rice wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend again. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, remembering that the soup is going to be chilled, so any taste of saltiness will be dulled.

Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve to remove the tomato skins and to give the soup an even creamier texture.

Chill both the soup and serving dishes until ready to serve. Cold soup should always be served in a cold bowl. To serve, ladle the soup into the chilled bowls and garnish with freshly chopped chives, the small cut-up tomatoes, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 6

Suggested wine pairing
BC: La Frenz Semillon, Naramata
International: Chateau Tours de Mirambeau Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France