Tomato Soup

Serves

Six to eight people.

Hardware

• 5 qt. soup pot

Ingredients

1	Tblsp		butter
1			medium onion, coarsely chopped
1	stalk		celery, coarsely chopped
2	cloves		garlic, minced
2	Tblsp		tomato paste
1 ½	lbs		fresh tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1	quart		chicken stock
1	tsp		dried thyme
			fresh ground black pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Saute the onions, celery, and garlic until soft.

2. Stir in the tomato paste.

3. Add the tomatoes, stock, thyme, and pepper.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended.

5. Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth.

6. Pour through a strainer to remove the pulp and seeds.

7. Return the soup to the pan, heat, and serve.

Notes

Resist the temptation to use more onion or garlic. You want the flavor of the tomatoes to come through, and it would be easy to over-power them. This is especially true in the winter, when the tomatoes you find in stores are a mere shadow of their summer cousins.

A few drops of a nice hot sauce would give this a little zing.

The original recipe suggested croutons, as follows: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter; brush onto both sides of 8 thick slices of French bread; bake for about 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

If you have fresh thyme, use 1 Tblsp.

Rating

Difficulty: Very easy.

Time: About one hour.

Precision: 1.

Source

Adapted from Good Old Food, by Irena Chalmers.