Recipe: Easy Tomato Soup
I love soup, and tomato soup is one of my favorites. It's delicious, it's healthy, it's versatile and it's easy to make. Why torture yourself with a can of Campbell's when you can just make your own? So here's how I do it.
First, you need tomatoes. I like roma tomatoes, and there are about 4 pounds here. Onion, garlic and celery add great flavor. I'm also a fan of peppers, especially red, so I'm throwing in one of those too. But don't worry; none of the other veggies dilute the tomato flavor.
Cut the tomatoes in half, roughly chop the onion, lightly crush the garlic cloves, halve and seed the pepper, and throw in the celery. Put it all in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Put the pan into a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
(Okay, that took about 10 minutes. Now what?)
40 minutes later and the veggies are roasted and the house smells like an Italian restaurant. Yum!
Allow the veggies to cool for a bit, then puree them. Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender in a pot. I always use my trusty Kitchen-Aid blender (product pimp!) because it rocks. Throw the veggies in, puree, and done.
Next, it's time to season. I don't really like to tell people how much of what to use since tastes and tastebuds differ. But generally speaking, if you like a savory and herby tomato soup like me, you can't go wrong with thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. And a bay leaf. Or if you don't want to think about it, pick up a pre-mixed bottle of Italian Seasoning. It's all good.
Dump that bitch into your pot and let it all simmer. To really pull the flavor out of the herbs, it's a good idea to let it simmer for at least an hour, during which you can dick around on Facebook. I did.
It's around this time that you need to stop and make a decision: do you still want tomato soup, or do you cook up a big batch of pasta instead? Because like Anna Paquin, this sexy pot of goodness can go either way.
I'm sticking to my original plan of soup, and since I want a creamy soup today, I'm mixing some milk in. Sure, you could use cream instead, but the soup is already pretty rich so regular milk does the job just fine. Add in the milk, heating gently.
And you're done! Retrieve your bay leaf, adjust for salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls. Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches; fresh baked bread; topped with crème fraiche and a crown of arugula; with shredded cheese and a dash of hot sauce--the choices are practically endless. Tonight I'm having mine simply: with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh pepper.
If you're lucky your kids may even eat it too, and you can laugh inwardly because of all the vegetables they don't know they're consuming. Mine asked for chicken nuggets instead. Oh well, you can't please everyone.
Recipe:
3-5 pounds of roma tomatoes, halved
1 onion (yellow or red), roughly chopped
2-3 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil
dried thyme, basil and oregano (start with about 1/2 tsp and adjust from there)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
milk, about 1 1/2 cups (if you prefer a non-creamy soup, thin with vegetable stock instead)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all vegetables with olive oil and spread in roasting pan. Roast 40 minutes until tender.
Allow vegetables to cool and then puree. Transfer puree to pot and add seasonings and bay leaf. Simmer for one hour.
Add milk (being careful not to curdle) or vegetable stock to thin soup. Remove bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper, and serve.
First, you need tomatoes. I like roma tomatoes, and there are about 4 pounds here. Onion, garlic and celery add great flavor. I'm also a fan of peppers, especially red, so I'm throwing in one of those too. But don't worry; none of the other veggies dilute the tomato flavor.
Cut the tomatoes in half, roughly chop the onion, lightly crush the garlic cloves, halve and seed the pepper, and throw in the celery. Put it all in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Put the pan into a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
(Okay, that took about 10 minutes. Now what?)
40 minutes later and the veggies are roasted and the house smells like an Italian restaurant. Yum!
Allow the veggies to cool for a bit, then puree them. Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender in a pot. I always use my trusty Kitchen-Aid blender (product pimp!) because it rocks. Throw the veggies in, puree, and done.
Next, it's time to season. I don't really like to tell people how much of what to use since tastes and tastebuds differ. But generally speaking, if you like a savory and herby tomato soup like me, you can't go wrong with thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. And a bay leaf. Or if you don't want to think about it, pick up a pre-mixed bottle of Italian Seasoning. It's all good.
Dump that bitch into your pot and let it all simmer. To really pull the flavor out of the herbs, it's a good idea to let it simmer for at least an hour, during which you can dick around on Facebook. I did.
It's around this time that you need to stop and make a decision: do you still want tomato soup, or do you cook up a big batch of pasta instead? Because like Anna Paquin, this sexy pot of goodness can go either way.
I'm sticking to my original plan of soup, and since I want a creamy soup today, I'm mixing some milk in. Sure, you could use cream instead, but the soup is already pretty rich so regular milk does the job just fine. Add in the milk, heating gently.
And you're done! Retrieve your bay leaf, adjust for salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls. Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches; fresh baked bread; topped with crème fraiche and a crown of arugula; with shredded cheese and a dash of hot sauce--the choices are practically endless. Tonight I'm having mine simply: with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh pepper.
If you're lucky your kids may even eat it too, and you can laugh inwardly because of all the vegetables they don't know they're consuming. Mine asked for chicken nuggets instead. Oh well, you can't please everyone.
Recipe:
3-5 pounds of roma tomatoes, halved
1 onion (yellow or red), roughly chopped
2-3 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil
dried thyme, basil and oregano (start with about 1/2 tsp and adjust from there)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
milk, about 1 1/2 cups (if you prefer a non-creamy soup, thin with vegetable stock instead)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all vegetables with olive oil and spread in roasting pan. Roast 40 minutes until tender.
Allow vegetables to cool and then puree. Transfer puree to pot and add seasonings and bay leaf. Simmer for one hour.
Add milk (being careful not to curdle) or vegetable stock to thin soup. Remove bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper, and serve.