I am a tomato soup lover.
I really enjoy a nice bowl of Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup on a chilly day with
a delicious Grilled Cheese sandwich. (or even on days not so chilly!) Memories of childhood days with my Dad – who also loved Campbell’s Cream
of Tomato soup. His “little hint” was to
add a teaspoon of sugar to the soup as it cooked, and he always used milk
instead of water. Mmm… Mmm… Good! But, this recipe is for FRESH TOMATO
soup. Not sure if my Dad would love it
as much as I do. He was a “purist”. But this still made me say Mmm… Mmm… Good!
Ingredients:
2 – 2 ½ lbs fresh Roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges. (I used 8 fairly good sized Roma’s)
½ lb. bacon, chopped into small pieces – or cooked and then
crumbled
1 white onion, chopped
1 celery heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Approximately 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used
chicken)
For garnish:
Parmesan Cheese or Sour Cream
Thinly sliced basil
Directions:
In a soup pot, cook the bacon bits until browned. Remove from the pot and drain. Reserve 1 – 2 tablespoons of the bacon
grease. (You could cook the bacon in
their full slices and then crumble them after they’ve cooled. I opted to chop the bacon first and then cook
the smaller pieces.)
Add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 -3 minutes. Add the celery to the pan and continue
cooking for about 5 more minutes.
Add the tomato wedges, basil and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 – 45 minutes.
Place half the mixture into a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender (to
allow the steam to escape.) Place a
clean towel over the opening to avoid spatters.
Blend until smooth. Pour into
bowl. Repeat with remaining tomato mixture.
Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the cooked bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve garnished with basil and sour cream or parmesan
cheese.
