Tomato Facts

 

 

 

 

 

This tomato soup recipe is by far the best and easiest one to make.  I have given you 2 alternative ways to make this soup depending on the seasons and what you have to hand. I'm sure that you will love it as much as my family and I do. The tomato soup recipe doesn't have to be made with fresh tomatoes, which is useful when you don't have your own tomatoes available, it is also really quick to make, nutritious and costs pennies compared to certain "garden fresh" soups that you find in the chiller section of your local supermaket. For me personally, I've never really liked the country's most famous "tinned tomato soup" either,  I find it makes the roof of my mouth really sore so it was wonderful to be able to find a recipe for tomato soup that really delivered on flavour. Inspired by Darina Allens' recipe from the Ballymaloe Cookery Course

You can also alter the flavourings by putting in some additional flavours at the end of the cooking time.  

In Darina's book she suggests that you first make a tomato puree with your own home grown tomatoes. Whether you make the puree with your own or shop bought tomatoes it's important that you use tomatoes that have been ripened on the vine to get maximum flavour.

So, to make the tomato puree, you will need

• 2lb/900g of  ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 1 small chopped onion
• salt & ground black pepper
• pinch of sugar

Put all the ingredients into a a stainless steel* saucepan and cook gently until the tomatoes have softened.

Pour the whole lot into a blender and blitz.  Finally pass through a nylon sieve*.

You can now either freeze it or use within a couple of days.  Now, on with the tomato soup recipe.

Tomato Soup Ingredients

• 8floz/225ml white or bechamel sauce
• 8floz/225ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 11/4 pints/750ml of tomato puree (see above)
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1/2oz/15g butter
• pinch sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• salt & pepper
• 4floz/125ml double cream (optional)

Method

Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Sweat until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except the double cream.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes until heated through. Blitz with a hand blender, adjust the seasoning and add as much or as little cream to taste.

My Alternative Tomato Soup Ingredients

If you don't want to go to the bother of making your own tomato puree, you don't have to.  This tomato soup works really well using either canned tomatoes or a bottle of tomato passata (not the concentrate) from the supermarket

To use tinned tomatoes you will need 2 tins x 400ml of plum tomatoes. Put these in a blender then pass through a nylon sieve *to get rid of the seeds and proceed with the recipe above.

To use a bottle of tomato passata I find it best to get the one without seeds as you don't have to sieve it and it therefore saves time. Just  use the bottled tomato puree instead of the homemade one and proceed as before.

Alternative Flavourings

• Instead of mint you can add a couple of tablespoons of chopped basil
• Or chopped fresh coriander
• For rosemary use half the amount of the above herbs
• Add the grated zest of an orange.

This soup can be frozen and reheats really well.  I quite often make double the quantity, batch it up and keep it in the freezer for a quick, warming lunch.

I have specified a white or bechamel sauce because to be honest I cannot always be bothered to make bechamel and it does take longer to do. I find that the white sauce does the job almost as well and if you don't tell anyone then no-one will be any the wiser!

* Just a note - it's important to use a nylon sieve and not a metal one because the tomato juice can react with certain metals which will leave it with a horrible metallic taste.  The same goes for the saucepan, use stainless steel, not aluminum.