This creamy soup is wonderful on hot days; pair it with tortilla chips and you have a great lunch. Unlike most avocado soups, which are cream based, this one features the sweetness of tomatoes and the bite of chiles. You can make this into a dip by adding another avocado or two and reducing the amount of stock to just enough to allow the mixture to be pureed. A nice touch is to use a third avocado, diced, as a garnish.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　3 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 small onion, diced

　　2 fresh chiles, preferably serrano, stemmed, seeded, and minced

　　1 large ripe tomato, cored and chopped

　　1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162)

　　2 ripe medium avocados, peeled and pitted

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

　　1/2 cup tortilla chips, optional

　　

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato and cook for 4 minutes, stirring now and then.

　　

Step 2

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly, then strain and cool.

　　

Step 3

Put the mixture in a blender along with the avocados and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

　　

Step 4

Stir again, garnish with cilantro and tortilla strips chips if you like, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.