This past weekend, we had a double birthday celebration for me and my oldest son. And, of course, what a foodie wants for birthday gifts would have to be things food related. My family truly gets me, because I got three new knives and a new cookbook. Not just any cookbook, but one that I’ve wanted to add to my collection for a while – Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking“.
I don’t know who said it first, but someone mentioned how nice it would be to have a bowl of tomato soup. That’s all I needed to hear! I’ve actually never made tomato soup from scratch (please don’t judge me), so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try out my new cookbook, except for the fact that tomato soup isn’t French. Hmmm. So, I searched for a recipe that appealed to me, and of course modified it a little to suit my taste. I came up with a pretty awesome recipe that is super simple to make.
While the soup simmered, my curiosity got the best of me. Where did tomato soup originate? Italy? Mexico? Spain? Interestingly enough, I learned that tomato soup originated in Spain and was originally called Gazpacho. Then in 1897, Campbell’s Soup canned it and sold the heck out of it. I think I’ve had a can of tomato soup in my pantry since I can remember. Served with grilled cheese, or just with saltine crackers, it was always a staple and tasted oh so good on a cold day. Now that I’ve made it from scratch, I can make room in my pantry for other things, because I’m never going back. Here’s my recipe:
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large or two medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 TBS tomato paste
- 2 TBS all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 28-oz can whole, peeled plum tomatoes with juice (seeds removed)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp herbs de provence
- Kosher salt, black pepper
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Grated parmesan for garnish
- Heat oil and butter in a large ceramic dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onions in oil and butter until translucent.
- Add garlic and sauté until garlic and onions are soft, but not browned (just about another minute or two).
- Sprinkle in flour and mix well with onions and garlic.
- Add tomato paste and mix well.
- Pour in chicken broth stirring while adding.
- Add canned tomatoes (with seeds removed)
- Turn up to medium-high heat and cook until almost boiling.
- Then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 40 minutes.
- When soup is cooked, puree mixture with immersion blender until desired consistency is achieved.
- Serve topped with a sprig of fresh parsley and grated parmesan.
- I like to serve this soup with toasted garlic bread or croutons.
With Fall just around the corner, I hope you all make this soup at least once this season. The great thing about this soup is that it freezes really well. Make a double batch and then pop individual servings into freezer containers. With Christmas shopping, errands and all the busy activities we have with our kids, just think about how nice it will be to come home to soup you just warm up and enjoy in less than 15 minutes.
TTFN,
The Baroness