Monday, October 04, 2010

Enjoying the harvest: delicious homegrown, homemade tomato soup

In the frenetic energy of the harvest and canning and preserving, don't forget to enjoy the abundance in the moment and savor the flavors right then and there. I've been able to do that this year, and I've discovered a new favorite way to enjoy tomatoes. It's super simple, but because you're using the best produce at the best time of year, it's super delicious.

Tomato soup

A simple bowl of homemade tomato soup made with homegrown tomatoes and plenty of garden herbs has become a new harvest standard. It's flexible for adding roasted vegetables to it if you want to bulk it up some, or to enjoy just as is with a side of garlic cheese toast. It keeps in the fridge well, and may even be better the second day once the flavors have mingled a bit.

We've been harvesting lots of tomatoes, but not enough to use for big canning recipes. Instead, I'm roasting them and some I've made into this fabulous soup. Here's how I do it...

One of these things is not like the other

Coat a lipped baking sheet with olive oil. Slice your roma tomatoes in half, and place them cut side down on the pan. I also like to throw in 6-7 cloves of garlic. Salt and pepper, and add some fennel seeds. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes have turned crinkly and began to brown on top. Remove from oven.

In a soup pot, add the roasted tomatoes and a large container of chicken broth. Use an immersion blender to blend it all up, right in the pot. Add lots of favorite herbs from the garden, finely chopped. I like rosemary and thyme. Sometimes some sage. For a little heat, add a teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes. Let come to a boil and then simmer until it thickens to a consistency you like. I usually do this for about 20 minutes. For richness and smooth texture, stir in a little heavy cream towards the end.

I've done plenty of pans of tomatoes this way, and instead of making them into soup, I let them cool and drop them, usually about a pan per bag, into freezer bags. I'll be able to pull out a bag this winter and make the soup then, or use it as a base for more playing on variations of this soup. So while I'm preserving it for winter, I'm also making sure to enjoy it right now, too. It's a two-fer. A tomato two-fer? Whatever it is, it's delish.

8 comments:

Recovering Straight Girl said...

Today is a perfect day for this soup! I think I've just changed my dinner plan idea!

Heather said...

I like the Pacific Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup, so I may have to attempt to make it at home with this recipe!

Amy said...

I have been just hoping to get enough tomatoes to make a big batch o' soup, but may have to settle for a small, individual sized portion of soup. That looks AWESOME!

Recovering Straight Girl said...

My soup is on the stove!

Lise said...

I was just thinking to myself, I have to remember to look up how to roast tomatoes! Thanks!

A Lewis said...

You are SO IN TROUBLE! My favorite meal.

Katie said...

Hi! Can I make this with early girl toms? Or do they have to be roma's?
Also, I've enjoyed your blog for awhile from afar - first found you when I lived overseas. I'm back in NoPo now and glad you're still cranking out the killer posts!

Cher said...

Dang. I love tomato soup. Now I'm gonna have to make me some (Ours are mostly still green...sigh).
T'is the season, I guess. I suddenly got a bug for corn chowder the other day, too.