Tomato Soup: Saving Summer’s Bounty

We were in the mood for tomato soup and grilled cheese. So we started Googling. After all, the best recipes are often found at your fingertips. We picked out and modified a recipe. Here’s what we came up with.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• 5 very ripe tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1 TSP salt
• about 2 tsp sugar (this can be adjusted to suit your taste)
• fresh ground pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and onions. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about twenty minutes. Stir occasionally while the soup is heating.

Use a blender or food mill to process the tomato mixture and set it aside.

In the original stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the 2 TBSP of flour. That’s right, friends and neighbors, we’re making a roux. Whisk gently until the roux is a light to medium brown. This ensures there is no floury taste.

Very slowly, while stirring continuously, add the tomato mixture to the roux. Stir between additions until it is smooth with no lumps. Once all of the tomato mixture has been combined, add the salt, sugar, and pepper. Serve and garnish just as you would the canned stuff.

This soup begs for additions. Sprinkle in fresh basil or thyme. Top with cheese or croutons. Whatever you do, enjoy it thoroughly, knowing exactly what it contains.

You can freeze this soup. Make sure you leave some room for expansion and be aware that it may need a brisk whisking after thawing.

Enjoy!