When school starts life in our house settles into a routine, so do our dietary choices. We go from the lazy snacking of summer days to planned "wholesome" meals. In my constant search for food that my children like to eat, I have stumbled upon tomato soup. Simple and nutritious tomato soup.
September in our part of the world means we will have a seemingly endless supply of fresh tomatoes. We do our part, growing cherry tomatoes on a couple of vines in our yard. However, it is when you go to the farmer's market that you get to see all the glorious colours and varieties of tomatoes. We decided that it was time to take the plunge into soup making...why not start with tomato soup.
Fresh from the garden tomato soup
4 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes
½ sliced onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
sprig of fresh herb for garnish, oregano, parsley or basil
1. In a large pot combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat - run the mixture through a food mill and into a large bowl. OR Hot Tip: if you don't own a food mill (I don't) first run an immersion blender through the tomato mixture, to breakdown any large pieces.
Next, place a fine strainer over a large bowl.
Pour a few ladles of the mixture at a time, into the strainer. Use the backside of the ladle to push the mixture through the strainer.
Repeat until all the mixture is through the strainer.
2. Discard any food that remains in the food mill or strainer
3. Using the original large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cook until the roux is medium brown (a little red due to the reusing of the pot).
5. Gradually whisk in one ladle of the tomato mixture. Whisk constantly so that no lumps form.
6. Add the remaining tomato mixture, season with salt, pepper and sugar, heat through and serve.
7. Garnish with your choice of fresh herb when serving.
The soup was a hit, with crackers in it of course! The great thing about making soup is that you can freeze it and have a great lunch ready to go on any day. Up next I'm looking to make chicken noodle soup...any suggestions/tips would be much appreciated.
We're going to really enjoy the tomato season this year. I like to eat my tomatoes like an apple...just pick it up and eat it. My girls prefer the soup and sauce form. Can't wait to see what else we can do with this truly beautiful fruit.
Veronica Slater presents says
I agree, tomatoes can work like apples, so yummy and healthy!!! I'm glad you posted the tomatoe soup recipe, Jen, it's a perfect excuse to dust off my food mill! Haven't used it in ages!!! I have to say that I'm surprised to see how much my family is loving cold soups. Gazpacho is a hit for sure this year and I think I found a recipe that's not only easy but better than the first one we tried. Does your family like cold soups?