I ate a lot of tomato soup when I was growing up. There would be a grilled cheese sandwich with it on a good day.
The problem was it was canned soup. It was thin and didn’t have a lot of flavour. I know I can do better and have made tomato soup many times. Yet, I wondered what it would be like if I introduces a nice smoky flavour to the soup.
We had the last of the tomato crop that we ripened inside so it was the time to try it.
Cut the stem core out of 1.75 kg (4 pounds) of tomatoes and cut them in half. Cut one large carrot into chunks. Cut one large red pepper in half, remove the membrane and seeds. Cut two medium onions in half and peel them. Peel three cloves of garlic.
Spread the vegetables in one layer in roasting pans. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables.
Preheat your smoker to 220 F (104 C). I used my Bradley P10 Smoker for this. Smoke (I used hickory) the vegetables for 1 hour or until the onions start to get some colour.
Dice the onions, carrot, pepper, and garlic. Pull the skin off the tomatoes and coarsely chop.
Put all the ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
The remaining ingredients are:
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs if using. Puree the soup with a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
Reheat the soup to piping hot and serve.
The Verdict
Sitting down to this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich took me back to my childhood. Well, except the soup is thick and creamy with lots of flavour. Then the grilled cheese sandwich was made with light rye bread and not a pasty white slice from a bag.
OK, it was way better than when I was a kid, but it still made me feel warm and comfortable like I did when mom made me this meal.
The consistency of the soup is smooth and thick but, still liquid for dipping your sandwich in. The flavour is of fresh tomatoes with a touch of sweet and just a little background spice against a deep smooth smoky flavour.
This is the best tomato soup I’ve ever made!
A bonus is that it freezes well.
If you want a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
Disco
The problem was it was canned soup. It was thin and didn’t have a lot of flavour. I know I can do better and have made tomato soup many times. Yet, I wondered what it would be like if I introduces a nice smoky flavour to the soup.
We had the last of the tomato crop that we ripened inside so it was the time to try it.
Cut the stem core out of 1.75 kg (4 pounds) of tomatoes and cut them in half. Cut one large carrot into chunks. Cut one large red pepper in half, remove the membrane and seeds. Cut two medium onions in half and peel them. Peel three cloves of garlic.
Spread the vegetables in one layer in roasting pans. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables.
Preheat your smoker to 220 F (104 C). I used my Bradley P10 Smoker for this. Smoke (I used hickory) the vegetables for 1 hour or until the onions start to get some colour.
Dice the onions, carrot, pepper, and garlic. Pull the skin off the tomatoes and coarsely chop.
Put all the ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
The remaining ingredients are:
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 156 ml (5.5 oz) tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) Worcestershire sauce
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) sugar
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) dried thyme
- 4 ml (3/4 teaspoon) paprika
- 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) cayenne
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs if using. Puree the soup with a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
Reheat the soup to piping hot and serve.
The Verdict
Sitting down to this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich took me back to my childhood. Well, except the soup is thick and creamy with lots of flavour. Then the grilled cheese sandwich was made with light rye bread and not a pasty white slice from a bag.
OK, it was way better than when I was a kid, but it still made me feel warm and comfortable like I did when mom made me this meal.
The consistency of the soup is smooth and thick but, still liquid for dipping your sandwich in. The flavour is of fresh tomatoes with a touch of sweet and just a little background spice against a deep smooth smoky flavour.
This is the best tomato soup I’ve ever made!
A bonus is that it freezes well.
If you want a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
Disco
