Trying a new tomato basil soup tonight...

HotPepperQueen

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1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 pounds tomatoes- cored, peeled, and quartered
salt & pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped basil
Sprigs of fresh basil
Parmesean cheese

Heat butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook onions until tender. In a large pot, add tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook until the tomatoes are softened. Run the tomatoes through a foley food mill, juicer, or blender. Add the juice back to the pot and add basil and salt & pepper. Add in the cooked onions and stir until blended. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to low and gradually add the heavy cream. Serve with a sprig of basil and/or a handful of parmesean cheese for a garnish.


I will post later to tell everyone how it tastes. I have high hopes! I used whole frozen tomatoes from this summer.
 

digitS'

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Hey! I make tomato soup like that, HPQ.

You need to know, that doesn't put you in the best company - culinary speaking, that is ;).

It is a good way to use the tomatoes that come in from the garden green and ripen - sometimes, over several, long weeks. I like to put the grated cheese in just before the cream and use half-n'-half instead of heavy cream. The cheese is cheddar.

Steve :p
 

HotPepperQueen

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The soup was FABULOUS. I have to admit though, I added about a tablespoon of lemon juice, 4 dashed of worshteshire (or however you spell it!), 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, and two cloves of mashed garlic. I also made cheese dumplings for it too. Loved it!

digitS'- I agree, it is a great way to get rid of the "leftovers". I have about 12 pounds of frozen tomatoes in my freezer right now that I just didn't have the time or patience to get to but didn't have the heart to throw away. I think the next time I make it I will swap out the heavy cream for the half and half. It sounds healthier :p I think I will also add the cheddar next time too- it sounds really yummy! Thanks for the ideas! (p.s. i'm sure you are a great cook- bad cooks probably couldn't make this :lol:)
 

digitS'

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I had to look up cheese dumplings . . :rolleyes:?

Well, I guess I could make those, seems like I could, anyway . . . .

Using frozen tomatoes for soup is an excellent idea. DW always claims she's gonna make so much salsa with all the cherry tomatoes we end up plunking into the freezer! I just mentioned that we could drag some out and have tomato soup tomorrow, she seemed receptive. (But, it could have to do with her problems with a lingering cold and less-than-enthusiastic interest in doing any cooking right now.) Altho' she really likes to keep it simple, she enjoys cooking, fortunately for me :).

Steve
 

HotPepperQueen

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That sounds like a great idea! If she has a cold, the soup could make her feel better. Tomatoes have a lot of vitamin C and are also good blood purifiers. They also act as natural antiseptic. Keep that in mind ;) Another good idea instead of the cheese dumplings would be to get the premade gnocchi or tortellini from the refrigerator section at the grocery store.
 

digitS'

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It seems to me that an important ingredient is the broth!

I am a firm believer in those sorts of things. I gather bones together after a meal and put them in the oven to brown. They goes in with some onions and maybe not a lot more but there's usually celery & carrots in the water with those bones & onions.

Broth nearly always goes in most everything I make. I sometimes use beer as the liquid for some things like breads. I think of it as a "cereal broth" when I do ;).

Well, I dug out the path to the garage and the freezers & tomatoes, this morning. I know that there are quart bags of broth in there, too!

Steve
 

April Manier

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I use no butter and put a 1/2 cup chopped carrots in my base. It gives just a hint of sweetness.

We just love tomato soup here. It is so simple and and highlights the flavor of all those tomatoes.

I am almost through my canned tomatoes. Next year I need to do at least 4x the amount!
 

lesa

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Not sure if you are into canning- but you can still can the frozen tomatoes... but the soup sounds like a great idea! Love a grilled cheese sandwich with a nice bowl of tomato soup!
 

Jared77

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We core our tomatoes and leave the skins on but we put them in roasting pan with some cloves of garlic that we've peeled. Gives it a rich roasted flavor before we turn them into soup. But then we also leave the skins on to ensure we keep that roasted flavor. Puree it and you'd never know the skin was left on.
 

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