Few things can top the flavor combination of a well made tomato soup and a good quality grilled cheese sandwich. This soup is an easy puree of fresh roma tomatoes, a few vegetables, and some stale hearty bread. I put it together one afternoon at the end of tomato season when we happened to have some rock hard artisan bread laying around. I hate to throw away good quality bread, so this was a great fix. The soup freezes well and makes for an easy week night dinner – just heat on the stove and serve alongside a sandwich or salad.
INGREDIENTS
1-2 pounds of fresh roma tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion – diced
1-2 cups carrots – diced
A few fresh garlic cloves (to taste) – crushed
crushed red pepper flakes
fresh oregano
good quality vegetable stock
One small glug olive oil
A cup or two of good quality, stale bread
- First, bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Drop the tomatoes in for 30-60 seconds, just long enough to loosen the skins. Pour into a strainer, peel off and discard the skins. I didn’t bother with getting rid of the seeds, but some people may feel inclined to give the tomatoes a squeeze to get rid of excess seeds.
- Return pot to stove and place on medium heat.
- Add a small glug of olive oil (about the size of a quarter is sufficient) along with the carrots, onions, and a big pinch of salt.
- Sweat vegetables until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft.
- Add the crushed garlic and a teaspoon(ish) of crushed red pepper and stir for another minute or two.
- Add the de-skinned tomatoes to the pot and cover with vegetable stock/water. I usually use a couple of cups of stock, a couple of cups of water. Work with your personal preferences and what you have on hand.
- Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer.
- Once the soup is at a simmer, tear up the stale bread and toss it in. Simmer together just long enough for the bread to soften.
- Add fresh herbs to taste. I used about 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano. Some thyme and/or rosemary would have been nice as well.
- Puree with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, batch puree the soup in a blender or food processor, being careful not to burn yourself!
Season with salt and pepper and enjoy! This soup is nice served with a small drizzle of olive oil and some fresh, chopped herbs. A touch of cashew cream or a pinch of faux parmesan would be nice as well.
