The repertoire of seasonal soups is vast, and for Maine cooks it beckons as soon as the first spears of asparagus appear in our farmers’ markets. Next in the lineup is shell peas, which can become the base for another wonderfully elegant puree. Of course there are other spring and summer vegetables that afford great soup-making, too.
Tomatoes at market are at their peak; an easily made cream of tomato soup, served hot or cold
But a great tomato soup is one of the most satisfying. Each summer when they’re at their peak, which they are now, I comb through my cookbooks and recipe files to find the perfect recipe. I look for a soup that’s creamy with great tomato flavor. Past methods have included roasting the tomatoes, even mixing them with beets or carrots and cheese like feta or sour cream for the final fillip. Though these devises have been good, none have achieved that classic taste of cream of tomato soup. I keep thinking of good old Campbell’s tomato soup—yes from the can—just add milk and you’ve got it American diner style. Though we snub anything canned these days in favor of unprocessed food, that soup had the perfect texture and rich tomato taste.
Classic cream of tomato soup garnished with creme friache and basil leaves
Then last week, with a bowl full of local tomatoes on my breakfast table, I poked around and thought why not just it do simply, without embellishment of any kind? So I skinned several pounds of tomatoes (field and heirloom together), seeded and chopped them, saving the precious juice and added it to a mess of sautéed onions gently sautéed in butter, a bit of water (no stock), some parsley, salt and pepper and let it rip until softened. At the end I added about a tablespoon of sugar (it brings out the natural tomato sweetness) and a few shakes of tomato powder. This last ingredient adds tremendous punch of concentrated tomato flavor to any tomato preparation including sauces (try it the next time you make a bolognese). It’s available mail order from The Spice House. Finally the mixture is pureed and enriched with milk and heavy cream. Garnished with some basil leaves, homemade croutons and a dollop of lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche and you’re good to go with the best tomato soup.
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced thin
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 large sprig parsley
- Freshly ground sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 scant tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon tomato powder (optional)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- Heavy Cream or creme fraiche, for garnish
- Basil leaves (or chopped), for garnish
Instructions
- To peel the tomatoes bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the whole tomatoes, return to the boil, cover and let sit 1 minute. Put the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water for several minutes. The skins should slip off easily.
- On a cutting board core the tomatoes and slice in half. With a large strainer set over a bowl squeeze each half to get out the seeds, letting the juices drip into the bowl. Use your hands to extract the seeds. Over the strainer cut the tomatoes into chunks and put into the bowl. With a wooden spoon press down on the seeds and any flesh left in the strainer. You don’t want to miss a drop of that great tomato juice.
- Meanwhile, sweat the onions for about 10 minutes over very low heat, with a sheet of waxed paper affixed directly onto the onions; make sure the onions don’t brown. You just want to get them very soft. Stir once or twice.
- Add the tomatoes, the water, seasonings, sugar and cook, over medium low heat, partially covered, for about 20 minutes or until everything is quite soft.
- In 3 or 4 batches ladle the soup into the blender, starting on low speed (careful that it doesn’t splatter through the cover) and then on the blender’s highest speed until it’s thoroughly pureed. For a very fine textured soup, pour the puree through a fine-meshed strainer into a large bowl and add the cream and milk; a large Pyrex or pottery pitcher is perfect from which to serve by pouring it directly into soup bowls from the pitcher. To serve chilled, refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Pour into bowl, garnish with lightly whipped cream and leaves or chopped basil.
