creamy tomato soup

Good tomato soup feels like a delicious hug in a bowl.

Creamy tomato soup with fresh herbs

the ultimate Comfort food

Make it fancy

See how pretty the soup in the picture looks?

Even comfort food can be made to look elegant in the blink of an eye, If you keep a few “fancies” on hand, it takes seconds per bowl.

Here’s how get to WOW!

Swirl in a bit of sour cream, heavy cream, or creme fraîche as suggested in the final step of the directions, Then, using an eye dropper, add a few random dots and streaks of an herb infused oil. Add a tiny sprinkle of your favorite specialty salt and finish with a pinch of Aleppo pepper and/or a little twist of the pepper mill.

I love this little set of flavored oils from  La Tourangelle. Keep them on hand or make your own infused oils.

This little four-pack of finishing salts is an inexpensive way to get to know the unique properties of each one.

See you in the kitchen!

Tomato soup made from scratch is so much better than anything you can buy in a can, a box, or a jar, and it’s not difficult to throw together.

 

When I say scratch, you may think I mean that I’m using fresh tomatoes. I’m not. I love using fresh vegetables and fruits (yep, tomatoes are a fruit), but there are times when you’ll get more flavor from frozen or canned, and this is one of those times. Unless it’s the middle of the summer and you’re at a farm stand in rural Pennsylvania or New Jersey, chances are good that even the most expensive fresh tomatoes you can find will be virtually tasteless. That’s just the sad nature of produce in this country. It’s grown for looks and for shelf life.

 

All canned tomatoes are not alike. The flavor, and the level of acidity, is affected by both the variety of tomato and the soil upon which it is grown. To get the most flavorful tomato soup, you need the most flavorful canned tomatoes. That means, the ones from San Marzano, Italy.

Read the label carefully. If the can says “San Marzano Style,” put it back. It’s not just the variety, it’s also the soil. Brand isn’t important. What matters is that it says “certified San Marzano.” They’re much lower in acid than other canned tomatoes and have a natural sweetness.

 

The addition of other vegetables adds to the complexity of the flavor without detracting from that “tomato taste.”

 

This soup uses cream to mellow the flavor and create a beautiful texture, but it doesn’t take much cream to make that happen.

 

Most recipes for tomato soup call for chicken stock. To keep it vegetarian (and kosher), I use no-chicken stock. You can also use a good vegetable stock, or in a pinch, you can just use water. But I find I get the most flavor from chicken-style stock.

 

With the use of an immersion blender, this comes together very fast. If you haven’t got one, a food processor or regular blender will do fine. You’ll probably need to purée it in batches.

creamy tomato soup with fresh herbs

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces (half a stick) unsalted butter

  • 2 medium/large yellow or white onions, diced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 medium carrot, finely diced

  • 1 stalk celery, finely diced

  • 1 tablespoon white sugar (to balance flavors)

  • 2 large (28 ounce) cans San Marzano tomatoes

  • 2 cups no-chicken or vegetable stock

  • ½ cup heavy cream

  • A touch of fresh herbs—use one or more of the following­—thyme leaves, chopped rosemary needles, fine strips of basil, tarragon leaves, snipped sage, or snipped parsley. Use a light hand. The herbs should enhance the flavor, not overpower it.

  • Salt to taste. (If your soup tastes flat, it needs more salt.)

  • A few grinds of the pepper mill.

  • A dash of heat, if you’d like it. My preference is a pinch of Aleppo pepper, but red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne work as well.

  • A dollop of sour cream, creme fraîche, or a bit more heavy cream, for a finishing swirl.

Method:

  • Warm the butter in a non-reactive pot. Ceramic, stainless steel, and enameled ones work nicely. (Aluminum or cast iron will react with the acid in the tomatoes and give the soup a metallic taste.)

  • Add the onions and sauté them over low/medium heat until soft and translucent. Doing this slowly gives the onions a chance to release their natural sugars.

  • Add the garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté a few more minutes until the vegetables soften. Don’t let the garlic brown.

  • Stir in the sugar.

  • Open the cans of tomatoes. Pour the juice from the cans into the pot. Crush the tomatoes with your hands (I love this part) and add them to the pot.

  • Add the stock.

  • Simmer the soup very gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Allow it to cool somewhat and then purée the soup. You can make the tomato soup a day or two in advance up to this point. You could even make it further in advance and freeze it.

  • When ready to serve, reheat if necessary and stir in the cream and the herbs.

  • Taste for salt, adding a little at a time until it’s just right. The amount you need will be dependent upon the saltiness of your stock. Cook for another ten minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Once you’ve added the cream, don’t let the soup boil.

  • Ladle the soup into bowl, add a dollop of sour cream, creme fraîche, or heavy cream, and using the tip of a teaspoon or a knife, swirl the cream to create a pretty, freeform pattern. Don’t worry; you can’t get it wrong!

  • Your soup is ready to serve, as is, or with croutons.