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My friend Judy Irons sent me this recipe, and the first time I made it, I swore would be the last. Good, but way too labor intensive. "Huh!" Judy said, "I didn't think it was so bad." Plus, it was one of her favorite soups. So, when she recently was laid up for a short time, I thought about it again...thought about how "easy" it was for her...finally remembered about my old Foley food mill collecting dust in the basement. Judy was right--it's not so bad to make...if you have a food mill--and it's delicious. Very very light in consistency (as in, you could even drink it), but very complex and layered in taste. I recommend you try it for some hot summer night...at least once! Serve cold to 6-8 people as a first course to stimulate appetites when the dog days have got you down.

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 5 14½-ounce cans (medium) of tomatoes, chopped in their juice (or 5 pounds of tomatoes)
• ½ cup shallots
• 2 Tablespoons minced lemongrass
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ½ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons chopped mint
• 2 teaspoons grated lime peel
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons aquavit or vodka

Garnish: thinly sliced arugula or minced parsley

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the tomatoes and juice with the shallots, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 12 minutes. Stir in the honey and simmer until the mixture is very thick, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the next 5 ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Work the soup through the food mill (or press through a sieve), discarding the solids. Season with salt and pepper, then chill at least 8 hours. Stir in the lemon juice and aquavit.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and top with either the sliced arugula or a strong pinch of finely minced parsley.