Tag: tomato soup

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simple tomato soup

For once I don’t have much to say. The past two weeks have really been tough and my brain refuses to remember what spurred me to make tomato soup in the first place, not to mention the struggle to come up with anything in the way of creative prose.  This soup is simple and good. It wouldn’t hurt to pair it with a sage grilled cheese sandwich or perhaps a cheesy bun. A simple salad wouldn’t be amiss.

In case the idea of tomato soup intrigues you, but you don’t feel up to making it from scratch, I’d recommend the creamy tomato soup from Whole Foods – either their prepared version from the deli or the boxed one – and would avoid the creamy tomato soup from Trader Joe’s – it’s strangely sweet and needed a fair amount of doctoring to be palatable.

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Tomato Soup, adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
1 – 2  leeks, sliced and rinsed of their grit
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 – 28 oz cans of  tomatoes, or four pounds fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons white rice
1 bay leaf
2 springs of thyme, basil or oregano
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

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In a large heavy-bottomed pan, saute onion and leeks in olive oil and butter. Cover and cook until soft but not brown, 5 -10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the tomatoes, rice, bay, herbs and salt.  Saute for 10 minutes. Add the water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

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Remove the herb sprig and bay leaf. Blend the soup until as smooth as possible. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer into another pot. It is worth the straining, trust me.

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Rewarm the soup and add the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with creme fraiche and croutons.

Bite-Sized Croutons
several slices day-old bread
olive oil
salt

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I like my croutons to be manageable. Huge croutons that fill your mouth and seem like they’ll crack your teeth are not my thing. Make these using any old french bread you’ve got lying around.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Slice the bread into 1/3″ – 1/2″ cubes. Toss with olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 20 minutes, until browned and just slightly crunchy. They’ll get crunchier as they cool.

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-Emily

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grilled cheese and tomato soup

Cheese sandwiches have been pretty popular in Chez Jojonoodle as of late. We’re both in the thick of things at work and at school; we need quick and satisfying meals in a big way. Bread + cheese + hot pan = an undeniably good thing in less than 15 minutes. Plus, not much goes better with grilled cheese on a rainy day than tomato soup.

For the Grilled Cheese
4 slices sourdough bread
2/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 T butter

For the Tomato Soup
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 T olive oil
1 – 32 oz can whole tomatoes
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Once translucent, add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, vinegar, sugar and a good pinch of salt to the onion mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes and then puree. Season with more salt and pepper.

While the soup is simmering, spread the butter the bread. Heat a non-stick pan over low heat, place the bread butter side down, spread an even layer of  cheese and top with another slice of bread. Cover the pan. Let cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown and flip. Cook the other side until golden brown and serve alongside a warm bowl of tomato soup!

-Emily

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soup with lamb meatballs and winter greens

Ahhh, the last of the winter greens.  Although, I have grown to love winter greens, I admit that I am tired of them. Thanks to our CSA, over the past few months, I’ve eaten more kale than the rest of my life combined. This soup is (hopefully) our final farewell to winter greens, though I’m sure I be missing them after summer’s onslaught of tomatoes.

Soup with Lamb Meatballs and Winter Greens

You’ll want to start with the meatballs since they take about 30 minutes to cook. After they are in the oven, prepare the broth.

For the meatballs
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, herbs of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the lamb, egg, breadcrumbs and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. I also added some Italians spice blend, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you feel inclined to check for seasoning, heat a skillet with some olive oil and cook up a small bit of the meat mixture. Sample the cooked meat and adjust your seasonings. Form 1 inch balls out of the lamb mixture. Cook for about 30 minutes in the oven, or until the meatballs are firm to the touch.

For the soup
1 can crushed tomatoes (or two half-full bags of tomato sauce from your freezer)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 quart chicken stock (we used Jordan’s homemade stock, but store-bought would do just fine in this soup since the lamb is such a strong flavor)
1 cup dried pasta
3 cups winter greens, chopped (we have greens coming out of our ears!)
salt, pepper, chili flake

In a heavy stock pot or dutch oven, pour/defrost the tomatoes and broth over low heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of chili flake and simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. When your meatballs have about 5 minutes left of the cooking time, add the pasta. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes and then add the greens and meatballs. Simmer the whole mixture until the greens are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Not only is this soup a delicious use of an excess of greens, but it is a great one-pot meal. You’ve got your meat, starch and veggie all in one dish!

-Emily

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grilled cheese and tomato soup

Yesterday was rainy here in San Francisco. I trudged home from work dreading taking Willow for her evening walk. (She hates the rain and actually pouts when we take her out in it). Fortunately, my friend Robin and her pup Honey met us for our walk, which temporarily distracted Willow from her usual pouting. As we walked awkwardly with umbrellas in one hand and dogs in the other, we discussed dinner. We were both rocking all-American classics that night – meatloaf for Robin and tomato soup for Jordan and me. It was on the Leavenworth hill, soaked from the rain, in the company of grumpy pups, that we decided tomato soup and grilled cheese is the perfect rainy day meal. And, after cooking and eating it, I can confirm that indeed it was.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese, especially for rainy days

For the soup:
2 16 oz cans of whole or crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
3 T sugar
2 T red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, chili flake, a bay leaf, thyme

In a dutch oven, saute the vegetables in a little olive oil. When they start to become tender, add the tomatoes, a pinch of each of the spices, salt, sugar, vinegar and broth. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Puree the soup using and immersion blender or food processor. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and let simmer until ready to serve. We served it with a little creme fraiche on top.

For the sandwiches:
1 T butter, for the pan
1/2 cup cheese, grated (we used goat cheddar)
4 slices of bread (or 10 slices if the only bread they had at your up-the-hill-market was a baguette, but you decide to make a go of it for experiment’s sake)

When your soup is finished and simmering, place a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toss in the butter. Make the sandwiches and place them in the pan. Cover with a lid to melt the cheese. When they are golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other side. Serve hot and gooey.

Our tiny sandwiches were quite delicious, but because of the bread to cheese ratio, they lacked the gooey cheese factor one expects in a grilled cheese. While they paired well with the soup, they would not satisfy a grilled cheese craving.

-Emily