Creamy Tomato Soup & Toast with Tomato Butter
Slightly Adapted from How To Cook Everything By Mark Bittman
(Serves 4)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 carrot, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
2 lbs tomatoes, cored & chopped, or one 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 to 3 cups water or tomato juice
1 tsp sugar, optional
3/4 cup half-and-half or coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional
1 large or 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 carrot, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
2 lbs tomatoes, cored & chopped, or one 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
2 to 3 cups water or tomato juice
1 tsp sugar, optional
3/4 cup half-and-half or coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional
Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and carrot, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, lower the heat a bit, and continue to cook, stirring to coat the vegetables with the paste, until the paste begins to darken (don’t let it burn), 1 to 2 minutes.
Strip the thyme leaves from the stem and add them to the pot along with the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down, 10 to 15 minutes. Add 2 cups of the water and bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Let the soup cook until the flavors meld, 5 more minutes. (At this point, I pureed the soup to make it smooth.)
Add milk and cook until warmed through--do not boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning; if the soup tastes flat (but salty enough), stir in the sugar. If the soup is too thick, add more water, 1/4 cup at a time. If it’s too thin, continue to cook until it thickens and reduces slightly (this will also intensify the flavors). Garnish with the basil if you’re using it and serve.
For the Tomato Butter by Stacey Ballis, there isn't a recipe--just combine the tomato paste with softened butter in a 1:1 ratio. Use in cooked rice, pasta, on toast, etc. Yum!
Notes/Results: This is a simple tomato soup, full of good flavor. I like mine creamy so I used my blender to puree it, then added some leftover half-and-half to make it creamy. It was delicious with the toast spread with the tomato butter--like a double punch of tomato flavor. I will make both again.
Tomato Soup is an American classic so I'm linking up this recipe to I Heart Cooking Clubs where this week is our Monthly Cuisine Spotlight: American Food.
About Souper Sundays:
Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...
To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
- Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
On your entry post (on your blog):
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Deb,
ReplyDeleteI love tomato soup. When I was young that is what we always had when I was feeling under the weather. It was soothing, warming, and comforting. Your recipe looks delicious
Looks like it was a Mark Bittman week for the both of us! His recipes are so good for when you know what you want to make. He always has a recipe for it, as well as several variations. I like my tomato soup creamy too. The tomato butter sounds fun. I'll have to remember it when I have some tomato paste hanging around. It would be good over pasta too!
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