Fresh Carrot and Tomato Soup
I rarely go to grocery stores. I do most of my grocery shopping at the farmers' market and the local organic food shop. I also grow as much as I can on my patio, but that's not terribly much. At least I have my own herbs, and a few tomatoes and peppers....
Speaking of tomatoes, I bought a whole wack of over-ripe tomatoes. Not rotten, but needs-to-be-cooked-NOW tomatoes. They were super cheap, and I did what I always do when I see squishy ripe tomatoes: I made soup with them.
The carrots I used are locally-grown heirloom carrots in a variety of colours: white, orange, purple, and purple and orange! Although they may look peculiar to those used to supermarket varieties, they do not taste peculiar. The purple ones don't taste like grape or beets. They taste like carrots, and tasty ones at that.
Here are a few photos of my soup-making adventure today. The recipe follows....
The carrots. I think the ones that are purple on the outside and orange on the inside are particularly beautiful.
Here they are, all chopped up.
The blanched and peeled tomatoes, sitting on the roasting pan, drenched in extra virgin olive oil, just about to be roasted.
To peel tomatoes easily, cut a little X on their bottoms, and let them sit in simmering water for a couple of minutes. The peels will slide right off.
Even though it's been almost thirty years since I last had pigs, I still feel guilty when I throw out the peelings instead of feeding it to the critters. What a waste! The pigs would love these. I know it.
The finished product, with added basil from my garden, and hunks of extra old cheddar, because that's the way I roll.
And did it taste good? Damned straight, it did!
Here's the recipe (based closely on this one, but lightened up a little bit):
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled and sliced in half with stems removed
salt and pepper to taste (I used gomasio, which is a Japanese mixture of sesame and sea salt)
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup milk
Place halved tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with the olive oil. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.
Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so). When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot, along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so).
Puree the soup. I used my immersion blender, but you can also do it in batches in a regular blender.
Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and milk.
Mmm....
Speaking of tomatoes, I bought a whole wack of over-ripe tomatoes. Not rotten, but needs-to-be-cooked-NOW tomatoes. They were super cheap, and I did what I always do when I see squishy ripe tomatoes: I made soup with them.
The carrots I used are locally-grown heirloom carrots in a variety of colours: white, orange, purple, and purple and orange! Although they may look peculiar to those used to supermarket varieties, they do not taste peculiar. The purple ones don't taste like grape or beets. They taste like carrots, and tasty ones at that.
Here are a few photos of my soup-making adventure today. The recipe follows....
The carrots. I think the ones that are purple on the outside and orange on the inside are particularly beautiful.
Here they are, all chopped up.
The blanched and peeled tomatoes, sitting on the roasting pan, drenched in extra virgin olive oil, just about to be roasted.
To peel tomatoes easily, cut a little X on their bottoms, and let them sit in simmering water for a couple of minutes. The peels will slide right off.
Even though it's been almost thirty years since I last had pigs, I still feel guilty when I throw out the peelings instead of feeding it to the critters. What a waste! The pigs would love these. I know it.
The finished product, with added basil from my garden, and hunks of extra old cheddar, because that's the way I roll.
And did it taste good? Damned straight, it did!
Here's the recipe (based closely on this one, but lightened up a little bit):
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled and sliced in half with stems removed
salt and pepper to taste (I used gomasio, which is a Japanese mixture of sesame and sea salt)
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup milk
Place halved tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with the olive oil. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.
Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so). When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot, along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so).
Puree the soup. I used my immersion blender, but you can also do it in batches in a regular blender.
Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and milk.
Mmm....