First, I have to say that the cook book I got this recipe from may very well be my favorite book that is in my kitchen, Williams Sonoma's Soup of the Day. There are 365 soup recipes in this book, and they go by season making it easy to use up what you already have on hand and what is on sale at the food store.
Ok, so back to the recipe: This one calls for heirloom tomatoes and there is something about heirlooms that just makes me smile. They are sooo good. Fresh, flavorful, and brightly colored. The perfect tomato. The problem is that the grocery stores don't sell them so you would have to either have a CSA or go to your local farmers market. For those who don't know what heirloom tomatoes are, basically it's how they are grown. The science dork in me would go through the details of basic genetics just for fun, but I will spare you guys the boring details. Basically what it boils down to is that tomatoes are bred (for lack of a better word) for their color and shape, NOT flavor. Most consumers want to by the perfectly round and brightest red tomatoes at the store, an heirloom however is not round and and usually not bright red. So most people shy away from them. If no one is buying them then no one is going to sell them which is a total sham.
Anyway, if you cannot find heirlooms, I think you could use regular slicing tomatoes. A coworker of mine asked for this recipe after I brought it into work one day and I am pretty sure she made it with your regular everyday tomatoes and seemed to love it. So next time I make it I'll try it out and see how it goes.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 red heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs), coarsely chopped
- 3 yellow heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs) coarsely chopped
- 2 cups chicken or vege broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs heavy cream (or just use milk like I did)
- 1/3 cup chopped basil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot, add oil and heat
- Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until soft (5 min)
- Add tomatoes, broth, and sugar, stir to combine and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 min
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly
- Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree
Or.... you could use my all time favorite tool in the kitchen - the immersion blender!!
Seriously, if you don't have one, get one. Period. I personally love to make soup so this is something I use all the time, but it is also great for sauces and it comes with different accessories like a mini food processor that uses the same motor. If you have one, then just put it in the pot and blend about half of the soup. I find that using a larger pot with more surface area allows me more control with only blending half, and it only takes literally ONE MINUTE. No muss no fuss. And no extra clean up of a blender, just saying.
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| Notice the paint swatches in the background! |
- Return to pot and add cream
- Stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste
(oh btw, these photos did not turn out as well as I thought they would, sorry!)
I made this chunky soup for dinner one night for H and I and also made some fancy grilled cheese using garlic crusty bread and it was delish!
Enjoy!
JP
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