Chilled Bouillabaisse Velouté

Soup

Bring the water to boil is a large saucepan, the lower it to a simmer and keep it there.

Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, leek, garlic and fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring regularly, for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables soften but do not color.

Add the tomato paste and fresh tomatoes and continue to cook and stir for 4 more minutes. Toss in the shrimp, herbs, and spices and cook stirring, for 2 minutes or until the shrimps turn pink.

Add the simmering water and cook for 2 minutes more, then, with a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp. Set the shrimp aside for about 10 minutes, so that they’ll be cool enough for you to remove the shells.Shell and de-vein the shrimp, reserving the shells, and refrigerate, covered, until needed. Toss the shells back into the pot and let simmer with the soup for another 30-40 minutes, regularly skimming off the foam and any solids that rise to the surface. When the soup has only 5 minutes left to cook, add the chickpeas. Bring the soup back to a boil, and then pull the pot from the heat.

Pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth (you may have to work in batches). Push the soup through a fine meshed strainer, so that it is smooth and creamy enough to live up to its name, velouté—it should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If too thick, stir in a little water. Check the seasoning, add salt and white pepper, if needed, and then cover and chill.Vegetables

Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften but not color, about 3 minutes.

Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the zucchini, eggplant, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir for 6 to 8 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender. Turn the vegetables into a serving bowl to cool to room temperature.When the vegetables are cool, remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the chives, half the basil, and the chickpeas. (At this point cover and chill the vegetables a few hours, until needed.)To

Serve

Put the vegetables in a soup tureen, scatter over the shrimp, and sprinkle over the olives.

Pour the chilled soup into the tureen and sprinkle the remaining basil over the top.

Serve cold.