Recipe: Cool Summer Garlic-Lily Soup with Almond Pesto

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Soup:

Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium to large onion, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 large bulbs of young garlic (with green stems and soft skins), stems and roots trimmed away, bulbs peeled and thinly sliced.

1/2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

Shredded zest of l large lemon

Shredded zest of 1/2 of an orange

8 large shallots peeled and coarsely chopped

3 tight-packed tablespoons fresh basil, torn

8 to 9 cups vegetable broth (canned is OK)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/2 to l cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Almond Pesto:

l small clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup whole salted almonds (use Spanish Marcona almonds if possible)

1 tight-packed tablespoon fresh basil, torn

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

20 green grapes, halved

1 cup snipped chives

1. Lightly film the bottom of a 6-quart pot with olive oil. Set it over medium high heat and cook the onion with a little salt and pepper until golden.

2. Stir in the sliced garlic, fish sauce, citrus zest, shallots and basil and cook, uncovered, over medium heat five minutes. Stir often. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Let boil, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Cool and purée in a blender or food processor. The soup at this point can be kept, refrigerated, up to three days.

3. Before serving, stir the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the yogurt into the cool soup. Add more yogurt, if desired, and season to taste.

4. Make the pesto by blending the garlic, olive oil, almonds and basil in a mortar and pestle or food processor only until the almonds are finely chopped but not a smooth paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve the soup lightly chilled, daubing each portion with a little of the pesto and scattering it with the green grapes and chives.

From Lynn Rossetto Kasper