What better way to kick off winter comfort food season than with that old fan favorite, basic tomato soup?
A truly great sendoff for even the most overripe of tomatoes, this vibrant soup is the perfect backdrop for cream, yogurt, grilled cheese, crackers, croutons, etc…but can also stand on its own.
Basic Tomato Soup with Herb Puree–Tomato Soup From Scratch!
Stewed, reduced tomatoes become a medium of sweet, tangy umami. Add some sautéed onions, some fat, and some time: and boom, you’ve got a delicious–and beautifully simple–soup.
I cooked the tomatoes with sautéed onions and roasted poblanos in olive oil until some of the tomato juice had reduced, about 30 minutes.
After pureeing the cooked veggies in a blender and tasting to season with salt and pepper, I decided to get to work on the herb puree.
This puree became sort of a catchall for herbs and greens I already had on hand, so many substitutions or omissions could be made in terms of the greenery–after all, not everyone saves their carrot tops for just such an occasion!
This puree integrates beautifully into this simple soup and offers an aromatic freshness to the buxom flavor of stewed tomatoes. Needless to say, I ate this bowl of hot soup straight from the blender within minutes.
Basic Tomato Soup with Herb Puree
Serves 4
Soup
- 10-12 medium tomatoes, stemmed and cut into 1” chunks
- 3 medium poblano peppers
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 Tbs + 4 Tbs olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Herb Puree
- 1 bunch parsley, stems removed
- 1 bunch carrot tops
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 Tbs capers, drained
- 1 anchovy filet
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ c quality olive oil + more as needed
- Salt, to taste
Roll poblano peppers in first measurement of oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven on high until skins are blistered and charred, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until cool.
Add second measurement of olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot with salt, pepper, and onions. Sautee until onions over medium heat until they are translucent and tender, 10-15 minutes. Add cut tomatoes and turn heat to medium low, stirring occasionally to prevent the tomatoes for sticking. You are looking for some of the liquid to be reduced, about 30 minutes.
While tomatoes are stewing, remove the stem and seeds from the roasted poblanos. Dice the peppers and add to the cooking tomatoes.
After 30 minutes has elapsed and soup is of desirable thickness, puree everything in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Set soup aside in a large, preheated serving bowl. Combine all of the ingredients into the rinsed out blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You may require more than ½ c olive oil to achieve this, depending on the size of the herb bundles.
Serve the soup hot with a generous scoop of herb puree, or yogurt, or both. Croutons or grilled cheese are advisable.