As I sit writing this post early on Sunday morning, I’m preparing to can cherries, pickled beets, and purple raspberry jam. And if you follow me on -a-land, you’ll know that my canning obsession doesn’t stop there. Subsequently, most of my posts of late have been solely focused on canning and putting up, undoubtedly leaving many of you wondering, What does this woman eat, for real?

So while there are many more posts planned for jam, ferments, and pickles, here’s a post that gives you and your canning jars a break.

When the summer heat really starts to kick in, I turn to meals that are quick, light, and preferably cold. My herbal teacher, Suzanna Stone, puts it this way: When it’s hot outside, are you craving a thick, creamy beef stew with potatoes and onions? Or when it’s winter, doesn’t a cold, refreshing salad just sound wonderful? No, of course not. Our bodies absorb and reflect the environment around them, and in turn become little environments in and of themselves. We need to nourish ourselves with food that will increase the heat in our bodies or cool down the excess heat that can cause us illness.

This incredible soup is cold and refreshing, but has warming properties in the jalapeños and tomatillos. It comes together quickly and is satisfying on its own or as a preview to a larger meal. If you’ve never cooked with tomatillos, you can find them in a large grocery store or a Latin bodega.

If you’re looking for another delicious cold soup recipe, try this that I shared on the Stone Soups blog.

crema de guacamole (or avocado soup) with totopos

adapted from Heidi Swanson’s

for the soup:
12 tomatillos
3 serrano chiles or jalapeños, seeded and chopped fine
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 cups of vegetable stock (find my recipe for basic stock here)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
4 ripe avocados
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
pinch of salt
crema, for garnish
lime wedges, for finishing
small handful of freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them well, chop, and put them in a big soup pot along with the chiles, onion, garlic, and stock. Bring to a boil and then lower and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or carefully (it will be hot!) in a conventional blender. Stir in the 1/4 cup lime juice, then let cool for 30 minutes. Store the soup base in a large mason jar in the fridge.

To make two servings of soup, blend some of the soup base with a peeled and pitted avocado, some cilantro, and lime juice with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Add salt and more lime juice to taste. Top each bowl with a swirl of crema, cilantro, and a sprinkling of totopos.

for the totopos:
1/4 cup clarified butter/ghee, plus more as needed (great recipe here)
12 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
fine-grain sea salt
1/2 lime

Heat the clarified butter in a large skillet until hot but not smoking on medium-high heat. Put a small handful of the tortilla strips into the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to overload it (otherwise, the tortilla won’t brown). Toss the strips with tongs until they’re golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel while you cook the other totopos. Toss the cooled totopos in a squeeze of lime juice and salt, and store in a airtight container for up to a couple days.