Fresh Tomato Soup

Yes, I know it's fall now and most people don't have garden tomatoes anymore. However, I came home from my trip to New Mexico to find that a bunch of green tomatoes I picked before the freeze had turned red while sitting in my basement. So, I seized the opportunity to make fresh tomato soup.

Obviously these pictures are two different batches of this recipe. In the top picture, the soup is blended enough to make it soup, but it was still a little chunky. The vegetables were unpleasantly crunchy, so for the second batch, I cooked the vegetables for quite a long time and then blended for maybe 20 seconds.  This soup was pleasingly smooth and lighter in color. Paired with grilled cheese sandwiches, this is a fabulous meal.

Print

Fresh Tomato Soup

Adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop

2 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 small carrot, peeled and minced
1 small celery stalk, minced
1 teas minced fresh thyme or oregano (or 1/2 teas dried)
3 lbs ripe tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 c chicken or vegetable stock
shredded fresh basil leaves (optional)
croutons (optional)

Prepare the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute, then plunge into a bowl of ice water. Core, peel, and chop the tomatoes. You should have about 4 c pulp. Depending on the size of your tomatoes, this can take a while. About halfway through preparing your tomatoes, and depending on how soft you want your veggies, you may want to start the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook over medium heat until softened. (The original recipe says about 5 minutes, but I probably did 15-20 minutes.) Add the herb and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes lose their shape, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the stock and simmer until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender until quite smooth. Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately. Basil and croutons sound like a nice garnish, although I've never done it. Also, the original recipe reports that the soup works well chilled.