Recipe: Tourain du Batelier: A Bargeman’s Soup | Kate Hill
One of my favorite cooked tomato recipes is a simple summer soup, learned at the helm of barge galley so many years ago and refined until I can throw a couple of tomatoes in a pot, add a liter of water, and cook it while I hang a load of laundry to dry. Stir in a few scrambled eggs to cook and serve over toasted pain de campagne rubbed with garlic.
Serves 6
• 4+ lb (1.8 kilos) very ripe summer tomatoes, peeled and crushed
• 6 onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 eggs
• A handful of chopped fresh basil and thyme, or herbed sea salt
• 6 thick slices of country-style bread, one for each bowl
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves
Place the tomatoes into a big pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic.
Add water (about the same volume as the tomatoes) and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Beat the eggs lightly, then stir them into the hot soup. Turn the heat down immediately and add the herbs. The herbs will infuse the soup as the eggs cook, thickening this simple tourin.
Toast some thick slices of rustic bread, rub with garlic, and place in a tureen. Pour the soup over the bread, or serve in bowls with a crusty loaf of bread, a salad, and a bottle of good Summer red wine.
