Fire up the grill: Charred veggies add smoky depth to a chilled summer soup

Time to fire up the grill … and cook some soup.

Yes, really, we’re talking barbecued soup. Well, sort of. Charring vegetables on the grill is a great way to up your soup game. That’s because cooking veggies at a high heat either by roasting in the oven or on a grill concentrates the natural sugars, creating richer, toastier flavors.

Plus, it dehydrates the vegetables a tad so the broth is less watered down and naturally more intense.

This Green Gazpacho recipe begins by grilling tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeno until charred. If you’d rather not use the grill, you can char the vegetables in a cast-iron skillet or roast them in the oven instead.

Then simply blend the charred vegetables with the remaining ingredients and chill. Cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, and yogurt give the soup a cool, refreshing flavor that makes it an ideal starter for a summer meal.

Now, it’s a matter of topping the soup with whatever garnish suits your fancy. I used chopped cherry tomatoes, cilantro, some diced cucumbers and some leftover sweet corn I had already cooked on the grill.

So yes, go ahead and grill your soup ingredients. Once you taste the smoky depth it adds to this chilled gazpacho, you may never look at cold soup — or your barbecue — the same way again.

• M. Eileen Brown is executive editor for Shaw Media and an incurable soup-a-holic.

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Charred Green Gazpacho

For the gazpacho

1 pound tomatillos (8 medium)

¼ white onion

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

¼ to ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded

¼ cup olive oil

½ English (seedless) cucumber, chopped

½ cup packed cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup

¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

For the yogurt drizzle

¼ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lime juice

2 teaspoons water

Pinch of sea salt

Garnish options

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kernels from 1 ear of corn, lightly charred

1 cup finely diced cucumber

½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Fresh herbs (mint or cilantro)

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. On a plate, toss the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño with drizzles of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Wrap the garlic cloves in a piece of foil and place all the vegetables directly on the grill. Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the vegetables are soft and charred. Remove from the grill and unwrap the garlic. Let cool, then chill completely. (This step can be done in advance.)

In a blender, combine the chilled tomatillos, onion, garlic, ¼ of the jalapeño pepper, ¼ cup of olive oil, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, honey, and the yogurt. Blend until smooth.

Season with more salt, if desired. Taste and add the remaining jalapeño, if desired, for more spice. Chill the soup until ready to serve.

Make the yogurt drizzle: In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lime juice, water, and a pinch of sea salt.

Serve the soup with the yogurt drizzle and any desired garnishes.

Serves four

— Adapted from loveandlemons.com