Tomato Basil Soup, As Close to Nordie’s Cafe as I’ll Get

 

I can’t remember when my love affair with tomato basil soup began, but it’s been a long one at that.

I’ve always had a soft spot for tomato basil soup, but it wasn’t until I tried the version at Nordstrom’s Cafe did I find “THE ONE”. Nordie’s tomato basil soup is creamy, tangy, savory, thick, and OH-so yummilicious! If you’ve never tried their tomato basil soup, you must drive over to a Nordstroms at once, and order a bowl, not a cup, of this delicious soup. Or, you can try the recipe I’m sharing in this post today.

There are many variations of the Nordstrom’s tomato basil soup recipe available online, however, they share their soup recipe in one of their cookbooks that was published about two years ago. I, however, did not purchase the cookbook, knowing that the only recipe I would want is the soup recipe. Therefore I scoured the more affordable, free-99 internet and found a recipe that seemed close enough to the original and tweaked it until it tasted more to my liking.

I should mention that this tomato basil soup was a must-have dish during my pregnancy with Bebe E. I had cravings for this soup on a regular basis which often required trips to Nordstrom’s Cafe in my pregnant state. As I slowly became less mobile and I was placed on modified bed rest and eventually full bed rest, my darling husband would sometimes come home with a jar of Nordstrom’s tomato basil soup (yes, they sell the stuff in a jar at their Cafe) that we could cook at home, simply by adding heavy cream. Sinful heavy cream.

As some of you might have guessed, Bebe E also LOVES Nordstrom’s tomato basil soup. It’s quite interesting, but most all the foods that I loved and ate during my pregnancy with her, she enjoys quite a bit, including natto (fermented soy beans) and my Mom’s recipe for chawan mushi (savory egg custard).

I was hoping to keep this post short and sweet as I’ve got a lot on my plate these days that require more attention and time than I have to give. (I will journal more about life’s events and confessions in the weeks to come.)

Print Tomato Basil Soup, As Close to Nordie’s Cafe as I’ll Get Author: Judy | Bebe Love Okazu Recipe type: Soup Cuisine: American Prep time:  5 mins Cook time:  1 hour 15 mins Total time:  1 hour 20 mins Serves: 8   Ingredients

• 3 28-oz cans whole, peeled organic tomatoes with basil (Trader Joes brand), drained
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 large brown onion
• 2½ tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (to 2) packet Chicken Broth Concentrate, paste (Trader Joes brand) or Chicken Base, to taste
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped carrots and onion and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sautee until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add dried basil and sautee for another 5 minutes until well cooked.
2. Add canned whole tomatoes (drained) and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add 1 packet of chicken broth concentrate and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup mixture until smooth.
4. Return the soup to medium-low heat. Add cream, stir well, and cook for additional 15 to 20 minutes.
5. NOTE: If the brand of canned tomatoes that you used provided tomatoes that were more tart than sweet, add additional 1 packet of chicken broth concentrate (paste) to reduce the tartness of the soup.
6. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes Adapted from Epicurious.com 3.2.1230