Recently a friend at work brought me a bagful of lovely green tomatoes from his backyard garden.  I went in search of some recipe ideas for my newfound treasure and came up with two.  One is fried green tomatoes and the other is this soup which has become a new favorite in my “simple but elegant” recipe file. Green tomatoes are firmer, with a mellower flavor than the red variety. A little more than a garnish, a little less than a necessity, the sweet crabmeat complements the velvety texture of the soup nicely. I love steamed crab legs so I make them often, but if you’re in a hurry, canned lump crabmeat works as well for this dish.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium (4-ounce) onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (about 4 cloves)
5 cups chicken stock
2 pounds green tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
cooked crabmeat
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Optional: cilantro, fresh or dried

TOOLS
3-quart stockpot
chef’s knife
measuring cups and spoons
blender or food processor
ladle

METHOD
1. Melt butter with oil in the stockpot on low heat.
2. Add onions, stirring frequently, until tender — about 10 minutes.
3. Add jalapeno pepper and garlic, stirring frequently, until tender — about 2 minutes.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until tomatoes are tender — about 15 minutes.
6. Let stand until cool — about 30 minutes — then remove bay leaves and pulse, in batches, in a blender until smooth.
7. To serve, reheat soup, ladle into bowls, then add about 2 tablespoons cooked crabmeat per bowl and sprinkle each with cilantro.

NOTES & TIPS
• Fill blender only halfway before pulsing. If soup is too thick, add chicken stock, a few ounces at a time.

READY IN
45 minutes

YIELD
4 servings