By: Chef Laura Bonicelli
Â
Tomato Basil Soup is one of my favorite late-summer comfort food dishes. I reserve it for those days when there’s a hint of coolness in the mornings. Buy your tomatoes and basil at your favorite Farmers Market!
About Tomato Basil Soup
I don’t peel tomatoes often. It’s an extra step that I usually try to avoid. In this case, if you want a smooth tomato basil soup without tomato skins, the tomatoes need to be peeled. It’s simple. Drop the tomatoes in boiling water. Let the skins split; this takes about 30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes to a bowl of cold water and pull off the peels.Â
In researching other Tomato Basil Soup recipes, I found many seeding the tomatoes. I think that a good portion of the tomato’s flavor is in the gel surrounding the seeds. So, that all stays for this soup. They are a mess to chop up, so I have a procedure for that. First, put a cutting board on top of a bowl or container, partially covering the top. Second, chop a tomato. Third, slide the tomato, and the juices, into the container.
You’ll notice that there are only a few ingredients in this soup. The hero is the tomatoes. The stock is essential, providing a background for the flavorful tomatoes once cooked and pureed. The red onion and garlic sauteed in the olive oil give it a beautiful flavor base. If you don’t have red onion, you can use yellow onion, but it will change the soup’s flavor.
If you want more recipes Join The Club!!!
Step by Step Instructions
Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
Equipment
- immersion blends
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 pounds ripe tomatoes peeled, stemmed, and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato paste
- 1/3 cup chopped basil leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock -- preferably homemade
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- =====
- pesto and croutons
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute' until soft and transparent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
- Add cream to the soup.
- Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Serve with a dollop of pesto and croutons.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes
Chili Powder
Take me to the lesson... Chili Powder 2 tablespoons sweet paprika1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon dried oregano1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin . Combine all ingredients. Store in an...
Kaffir Lime Soup
Take me to the lesson... Kaffir Lime Soup This flavorful, feel-good soup goes cooks in less time than it takes to prepare the ingredients. 4 cups chicken stock4 kaffir lime leaves -- cut in strips4 2- inch pieces lemongrass1 1/2 Inches ginger root -- peeled and sliced...
Thai Green Curry Paste
Take me to the lesson... Thai Green Curry Paste 1 stalk lemongrass -- use the bottom four inches (roughly chopped)3 jalapeno chiles -- stemmed (seeded, and chopped)1/4 cup chopped green onions5 cloves garlic -- chopped1 1/2- inch piece of galangal or gingerroot --...
Recent Comments