What's up with tomato soup?


 

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Diamond Member
See recipe posted in soups below. Sure beats plain ole condensed soup.
Even better would be one from scratch. Any other ideas.
 
My post could have been clearer. I posted a recipe below that is a condensed tomato soup 'helper'. It was v. good. Someone may have a scratch recipe that would be better still.
 
Steve - You'll need to slow down for the slower witted members of the board (i.e., me!
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). I gotcha now. I've got a recipe for Tomato Dill Soup that I'll post later.

Jim
 
Here's one I often use with fresh or canned tomatoes.

Jim, looking forward to the tomato-dill.


Tomato Soup


2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 very small onion, finely chopped
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh
2 small shallots (or 2 shallot cloves), finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 can (28-oz.) diced tomatoes in juice*
pinch or two sugar**
pinch ground mace
pinch cayenne
2-4 Tbls light cream
salt
freshly ground white pepper

homemade marjoram croutons for garnish, optional

Melt the butter in a med pot oven over med-high heat. Sauté the onion with the bay leaf and thyme till the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the shallot and cook till the onions are lightly browned, abut 5-6 min more. Add the garlic and sauté till fragrant, about 1 min. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the tomatoes with the juices, the sugar, mace and cayenne. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer the soup until the tomatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Transfer it to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and purée the soup as smoothly as desired. Reduce further over med heat, uncovered, if desired. Stir in the cream to taste. Season the soup to taste with salt and white pepper.

* I often use peeled fresh tomatoes instead. Cut up in your hand over a strainer over a bowl to catch juices but strain out seeds.

** Start with a small amount sugar. More can be added near the end of cooking, if needed.

Options: I almost always make marjoram croutons. If the tomatoes are less sweet than desired I usually add 1/2-1 sweet red bell pepper, finely chopped and sauteed with the onion at the outset, rather than up the sugar. It would be good with the Q addition, imo. Another thing I think would be good is to add a dried chile (I'd probably use a guajillo, and/or cascabel, seeded and reconstituted with hot water) to the soup when the tomatoes are added. The red bell and the dried chile(s) addition would definitely be one I'd consider if planning to add Q which is, btw, a very good idea. A garnish of diced ripe avocado would not be unwelcome.
 
There you go. Real tomato soup. Thanks Kevin, looking forward to Jim's.

P.S. Kevin, what do NOT put thyme in? Just kidding, onion and garlic seem to find their way into everything I make.
 
P.S. Kevin, what do NOT put thyme in?
Very little. Since I use onion in so many things as a primary or secondary flavor and since the onion-thyme connection is so very, very good I use it often. I go through more of it by volume than any other herb or spice with the only exception of peppercorns.
 
Here's my version of cream of tomato soup.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

2 tsp finely chopped onion
8 TBLS butter
6 TBLS flour
4 tps sugar
3 tps salt
1/4 tps pepper
4 cups tomato juice
4 cups cold milk

Saute onion in butter. Stir in flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until smooth and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in tomato juice. Bring to a boil stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Stirring hot tomato mixture, gradually add cold milk. Heat rapidly to serving temperature. Serve immediately.


I don't have any problem with the milk curdling.
 
Yes, Q as in anything rubbed and barbecued. In this case, pulled or chopped pork or chopped or chunked brisket.

What you missed was Steve's recipe and mention of it. He refers to it in the OP; it's posted here.
 
Thanks, Kevin. I just wanted to make sure it was the common lingo of Q and not just another abbreviation. Sounds like a good idea.

OP - off-post?
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I made your tomato soup for lunch today and it was very good. I added about 3/8 teaspoon of light brown sugar but it could have used more. Also half of a 3 1/2" guajillo chile and a shake of cayenne. Perfect for me but a little spicy for Jack. I added about 1 tablespoon of raw rice to cook with the tomatoes to give the soup a little more body after pureeing it, rather than take the time to reduce it. A good wintertime tomato soup.

Rita

Edit: Changed chile size from 5" to 3 1/2".
 
And it sure is winter most places. It's 80 at home; I'm in Memhis, 34.

Sweetness of tomato soup can be played with. Many of us are most familiar with (the rather sweet) Campbell's. I also like a sharper soup, especially when served with a salad tossed with a sweeter dresing. Good, too, is a somewhat sweet soup with somewhat reduced balsamic drizzled on at serving. Several drops of Morea evoo is good too.

OP = original post
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I'm not sure I ever had Campbell's so can't compare. Thanks for more variations to add to the recipe.

Original post, eh? I'll add that to the Lingo thread.
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Rita
 
Originally posted by Rita Y:
I'm not sure I ever had Campbell's so can't compare.

Rita
Not sure what it is about the Campbell's tomato soup, but I just love that stuff. Maybe because I've been eating it my whole life, but even though I have tried many others, I always come back to it.
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