Tomato Basil Soup
My mother made a wonderful tomato soup when I was small, and I so regret that I never asked her for the recipe. But I recall helping make it, and I've tried to reproduce it the best I can. She called it just tomato soup, but she added basil to it as well.
A large percentage of the online recipes for tomato soup start with roasting whole Roma-type or cherry tomatoes. While I think that's a fine thing to do, sometimes you just want really good tomato soup without having to go through an hour's worth of preparation. My mother used whole canned tomatoes, and if they were available, also a few plum or Roma tomatoes. When I was very small, it was hard to find tomatoes in the grocery store in the winter, when one really wants to make tomato soup. But at the end of the tomato season, tomato soup was a standby for using up those last few tomatoes from the garden or on the store shelves. Later in the winter, she would use a combination of canned tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato juice. We didn't have easy access to fresh herbs from the grocery store when I was small. So fresh basil was usually available only if you grew your own. My mother used dried basil flakes from the spice aisle, and while that was good, there's no question that fresh basil is better. The amount I give is approximate--use more or less as you please.
I spent some time online looking at tomato soup recipes, and was surprised to see how many of them include large amounts of chicken or vegetable stock, and large amounts of cream. My mother used a chicken or vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in a cup of hot water. I have substituted a cup of chicken or vegetable broth as a healthier substitute, but if all you have on hand is bouillon cubes, they still work very well. Her soup was definitely tomato soup, not a chicken or vegetable broth flavored with tomatoes.
Almost all the recipes I saw that called for fresh (but not roasted) tomatoes said to peel them before chopping. We never did that. My parents were very health concious and tended to leave the peels on most things. So I don't peel them either. The small pieces of tomato peel in the soup are hardly noticeable at all.
One reason that people roast tomatoes for tomato soup is that it caramelizes the sugars in them and adds a bit of sweet taste to the soup. I've seen soup recipes that added sugar (sometimes a LOT of sugar!) to accomplish that same sweetness. This recipe does not include sugar, as I feel that the sugar in the tomatoes is plenty. Tomato soup ought to be savory, especially with the added herbs (in my humble opinion).
Heat the oil or butter in a heavy-bottom large sauce pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes (or tomato paste), tomato juice, broth and spices and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and/or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes four ample servings.
A large percentage of the online recipes for tomato soup start with roasting whole Roma-type or cherry tomatoes. While I think that's a fine thing to do, sometimes you just want really good tomato soup without having to go through an hour's worth of preparation. My mother used whole canned tomatoes, and if they were available, also a few plum or Roma tomatoes. When I was very small, it was hard to find tomatoes in the grocery store in the winter, when one really wants to make tomato soup. But at the end of the tomato season, tomato soup was a standby for using up those last few tomatoes from the garden or on the store shelves. Later in the winter, she would use a combination of canned tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato juice. We didn't have easy access to fresh herbs from the grocery store when I was small. So fresh basil was usually available only if you grew your own. My mother used dried basil flakes from the spice aisle, and while that was good, there's no question that fresh basil is better. The amount I give is approximate--use more or less as you please.
I spent some time online looking at tomato soup recipes, and was surprised to see how many of them include large amounts of chicken or vegetable stock, and large amounts of cream. My mother used a chicken or vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in a cup of hot water. I have substituted a cup of chicken or vegetable broth as a healthier substitute, but if all you have on hand is bouillon cubes, they still work very well. Her soup was definitely tomato soup, not a chicken or vegetable broth flavored with tomatoes.
Almost all the recipes I saw that called for fresh (but not roasted) tomatoes said to peel them before chopping. We never did that. My parents were very health concious and tended to leave the peels on most things. So I don't peel them either. The small pieces of tomato peel in the soup are hardly noticeable at all.
One reason that people roast tomatoes for tomato soup is that it caramelizes the sugars in them and adds a bit of sweet taste to the soup. I've seen soup recipes that added sugar (sometimes a LOT of sugar!) to accomplish that same sweetness. This recipe does not include sugar, as I feel that the sugar in the tomatoes is plenty. Tomato soup ought to be savory, especially with the added herbs (in my humble opinion).
2 tablespoons olive oil, ghee, butter or any combination of them 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock or bouillon Two or three medium tomatoes, chopped into small pieces (or 2 tbsp tomato paste) 28 ounce can whole tomatoes 2 cups tomato juice 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 1 cup light cream (half and half) or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried oregano |
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Heat the oil or butter in a heavy-bottom large sauce pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes (or tomato paste), tomato juice, broth and spices and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and/or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes four ample servings.