Recipe: Homemade Tomato Soup
There's a chill in the air, and nothing is more soothing after a long, hard day than a steaming bowl of soup. Don't reach for the can of condensed, however - making your own tomato soup from scratch is easy, relatively fast, and a whole lot healthier.
Servings: 2 to 5
Total Time: 45 minutes to an hour
Photo by Cara Siera.
Ingredients:
5 medium sized, ripe tomatoes
1 32 oz can of tomato juice, not from concentrate
6 garlic cloves, peeled
15 leaves of fresh basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Shredded cheese
Preparation
1. Blanch the tomatoes. To do this, bring a pot of water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, drop each whole tomato into the water and boil for about 1 minute or until the skins begin to split. Retrieve the tomatoes using the slotted spoon.
2. Allow the tomatoes to cool enough to be safely handled. After blanching, the tomato skins can be easily removed. Simply pinch the skin between your fingers and pull, or begin peeling from the split.
3. Remove stems, seeds, and seed membranes. Slice the tomatoes in large chunks, about 1 inch.
4. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomato juice to a boil. Add the chopped tomatoes, and boil for 30 minutes.
5. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomato chunks from the juice and place in a blender or food processor. Add garlic and 10 to 12 basil leaves. Puree.
6. Return the puree to the tomato juice, and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in heavy whipping cream.
7. Garnish each serving with a basil leaf and, optionally, shredded cheese.
Tip: If fresh garlic and basil are not available, you can use dried basil and garlic powder instead. Substitute 3 tablespoons for each.
My family says that this soup tastes like pizza, especially when a grilled cheese sandwich is used for dipping. This soup has a lot of fans, including a few who typically shy away from tomato based dishes. My family won't be going back to canned condensed soups anytime soon, but not just because of this recipe's superior flavor.
Almost all canned soups contain monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer. Many sources, especially those funded by the food industry, say that MSG is "safe for everyone," but 3 years ago, I discovered I had a food intolerance to this ingredient.
Avoiding MSG and its cousins is difficult, because they are an ingredient of many of the foods I once adored. But, I've discovered and developed recipes such as this one to sate my cravings. In the process, I've learned that I'm not missing out - rather, I've come to appreciate that homemade is often better than pre-packaged, and easy, too! If you're living an MSG-free lifestyle like me, be sure to bookmark Blonde's Can't Cook so you don't miss other great recipes to come.
Copyright Cara Siera 2018.
