Snow Day ….. Tomato Soup

Baby its cold outside….

I always want to make soup in this weather and my children and husband messing about in the snow prompted me to put together something tasty and warming.

Its after Christmas and the budget is tight so “soup from the larder” was the way to go, besides its snowed and I am certainly not popping to the shops!

I have to admit tomato soup isn’t one I have made since college (over 20 years ago) – I had been so disappointed, we had taken mediocre ingredients and turned then in to something that tasted like it came out of a tin..

I have read plenty of recipes over the years that pontificate about the use of fresh tomatoes (at their best) etc etc but this is what I did.

Ingredients

• 1 red onion – about the size of an orange
• 3 cloves of garlic 1x teaspoon basil (I had some dried – fresh is better)
• A good slosh of olive oil (you could use a non stick pan and reduce the oil, but I like the taste!)
• A good slug of sherry (optional – but it helps boost the flavour)
• 2 x tinned plum tomatoes ( I used a value brand) chopped unchopped whatever you have
• 1 x empty tin full of boiling water
• 1 heaped teaspoon of marigold boullion powder
• 1x teaspoon sugar about
• ¼ tube of tomato paste (approx 2 generous tablespoons)
• 1x tablespoon sherry vinegar (optional)
• ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) double cream
• scant ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A small handful of fresh basil leaves – if you happen to have them

Method

Chop the onion and the garlic, it doesn’t really matter how – I chopped mine fine because I wanted it to cook quickly.

Add the oil to a deep pan and fry the onion and garlic until they begin to soften.

Chuck in the dried basil and stir it through add the tomatoes and tomato purée.

Fill one of the empty tins with boiling water stir the boullion powder into this and add it to the pot.

Let this cook for about ten minutes until the onion is soft.

An American trick when making tomato soup is to add a mix of milk and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to the soup whilst it is cooking the milk makes it creamy and the soda keeps the milk from separating. I mixed baking soda through the double cream that I had in the fridge (not strictly necessary as the cream should cook fine) and added it to the pot – this is where the deep pan is needed because the soup froths up and I hate cleaning my cooker.

Once the frothing has subsided stir in the sherry vinegar and season to taste.

Put the soup in a liquidizer add the basil leaves and process until smooth.

Pour it back into the saucepan and double check the seasoning – tip into bowls and serve with hot buttered toast.

Had I not been serving this to small children I may have been tempted to add a ½ teaspoon or so of chilli powder when frying the onions just to increase the warming effect!

This makes enough soup to feed 3 adults and 2 children so I guess about 4 servings.

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