I decided to share this process, both the appetizing parts & the messy parts, VERY MESSY! This recipe is so unusual but tastes just like our favorite bakery's fresh tomato soup that it will certainly be a staple from now on. I love recipes that have a good base & can be adjusted depending on what you have on hand. How many times have you found an amazing recipe & have all but 2 or 3 of the ingredients on hand so it doesn't get made? For me, almost never, I change up everything using what's in my pantry & fridge to fill in the gaps. I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we have & don't let the "secret" ingredient scare you, you won't even know it's there but it's not the same w/o it. I also used the artichoke that we cut out of the flower bed at our Cannon Beach Vacation House & brought home with us, DELISH!
FARM FRESH CREAMY TOMATO SOUP
1. 3T butter ( I never use anything but real unsalted butter, salting is what they do to it to keep it on the shelf longer, YUCK!)
2. 1c. chopped onion (I used a Vidalia)
3. 1 steamed & chopped artichoke (here is where you can change things up, the original recipe called for 3 stalks of celery which I didn't have & I also added the rest of a jar of marinated artichoke hearts I had in the fridge)
4. 2 garlic cloves chopped
5. 1/4 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley ( I used about 1T dried plus 1T dried basil)
6. 3 c. chopped fresh tomatoes (garden fresh is best but please use a good canned tomato over those tasteless grocery store imposters if you don't have access to the fresh variety.)
7. 15oz. can tomato sauce
8. *SECRET INGREDIENT* 3/4 c stong brewed coffee (YES COFFEE, don't leave it out)
9. 1/4 c. H2O
10. Salt & Pepper ( I use Kosher & fresh ground)
11. 1 tsp. sugar ( I didn't use it & it's still delish, you won't miss this part)
12. 1/3 c heavy cream ( I used half & half because it's what I had on hand & it was perfect)
13. 1/3 c chopped carrots
Melt the butter in a large stock pot & add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery & parsley. Cook slowly until the onions are transparent. Be careful not to let it burn or the garlic will be bitter. Add tomatoes, sauce, coffee, H2O, salt, pepper & sugar. Bring to a boil & simmer about 20 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender in small batches & puree with short burst until it is completed blended.
*AUTHOR's NOTE* This is where the messy came in for me, I forgot to hold down the lid, not once but twice! So I covered my kitchen in tomato puree & scalded my face, hands & arms. Thank goodness for my friend Sharon who was present the last time I burned myself in the kitchen & told me to put mustard on it. I smelled like a corn dog & I'm sure looked like a hot mess covered in the thick yellow goop, but it did the trick. So lesson learned, please be careful & don't put too much in your blender & hold that lid down tight!!!*
Transfer back to the pot & add the cream, heat but don't boil. L ate hers w/ Italian cheese & I paired mine with a Tillamook cheddar melt fresh off the panini press.
Was it worth the mess?OH, YEAH!
This looks so good!! I can relate to this mess. I was always under the impression that corningware could be used on the stoves burners, and oh... a little over a year ago I put it on there to heat up vegetable soup for dinner. When it exploded I thought a bomb hit. Luckily noone was hurt. I took pictures as well. LOL.
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