On Monday (as I write this) it is really difficult to believe that Summer is only a few weeks away. The rain is bucketing down and there is a very chilly wind blowing. Its not nice out there at all . . . but it is a bank holiday Monday and running true to form!
I decided it was the perfect day for some soup. We won't have many more of those as the warm temperatures and wall to wall sunshine will soon be upon us and we will be revelling in all of it and enjoying grills and salads. (How's that for positive thinking and hope!)
This soup recipe I am sharing today is a really lovely soup. I adore Tomato Soup of any kind. I think of all the soups, tomato soups and chicken soups are my favourites.
It uses simple ingredients that you probably have in your larder and refrigerator . . .
Simple ingredients like carrots, celery and onions . . . chopped fine into a mirepoix as it is officially called . . . aromatics . . . a flavor trinity which also adds a ton of flavor to the soup.
There is garlic as well, another aromatic, but also a great flavor booster. You don't have to use as much as I do, but we love garlic . . .
It also uses tinned tomatoes. You know my favorite kinds of tinned tomatoes . . . Cirio. They are the best and I always have tins of them in my cupboard.
Other than that you just need some stock, milk and Parmesan cheese . . . along with some dried herbs and seasonings of course.
If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock, otherwise use chicken stock.
Todd likes bread with his soup, but the Canadian in me longs for something crispy. I had some of those flat thin Foccacia breads in the freezer from Deli - Kitchen, so I took one out and spread both slices with some butter, sprinkled them with garlic Italian seasoning and some cheese, baking them until crisp . . .
Cut into slices on the angle they went beautifully with this simple yet quite delicious soup! I sprinkled more Parmesan cheese on top to serve. You could blitz it until smooth, but I like the texture from the minced vegetables.
Yield: 6
Author: Marie Rayner
Creamy Tomato & Basil Soup
A great tummy warmer. Simple to make and oh so tasty!ingredients:
- 4 stalks celery, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 4 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 TBS butter
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 35g plain flour (1/4 cup)
- 960ml chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups)
- 2 (400g) tins chopped tomatoes in juice, undrained (2 14-oz tins)
- 1 TBS dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half
- 240ml to 360ml milk (1 to 1 1/2 cups)
- 180g freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (1 cup)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese to garnish
instructions:
How to cook Creamy Tomato & Basil Soup
- Put all of your fresh vegetables, along with the garlic, into a food processor. Blitz until they are really finely chopped. Heat the butter and oil over moderate heat. Add the vegetables. Cook and stir without browning to soften slightly, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour. Cook for a minute longer. Gradually whisk in the broth. Add the tinned tomatoes (undrained) and the herbs and seasonings, along with the broken bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cook over medium low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are all fairly soft. Stir in the Parmesan cheese to melt and then enough of the milk to give you a proper consistency. Heat through without boiling. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Ladle into heated bowls to serve, garnishing each bowl with some freshly grated cheese.
The crisp breads were the perfect accompaniment. I can't believe the glutton in me devoured them all . . . I was still nibbling on them in the evening while we watched some telly. A bit naughty, but very nice.