More Soup

I recently wrote about soup cravings and I'm still thinking about soup. Some may call it a rut, but I prefer to call it a stage. We've had coq au vin (more of a hearty stew), 101 Cookbook's Noodle Soup (seriously, one of my all-time favorites), tortellini soup, miso soup. At the risk of sounding redundant, I can't get enough!

We had some leftover pork tenderloin the other night, so I decided to put my leftovers to good use and make cubanos. Cubanos are really just an amped up version of grilled cheese, complete with pork, pickles and mustard. And nothing goes better with grilled cheese than cream of tomato soup. 

The Kitchn recently published a list of winter soups (I immediately got to work). Their cream of tomato promised to taste like a canned version. Even though I don't eat canned soup anymore (very high in sodium and preservatives), I definitely don't mind if a soup has the same comforting yet healthier nuances of the canned variety.

This soup is incredible. I've made it 3 times - once for just me, and twice for a group of kids - all to rave reviews. I've made a couple of adjustments, which I outlined below (mainly that I used a bigger can of tomatoes and removed the celery rib). It only serves 4 (even though the recipe says 4 - 6) so double it if you want to make more. Don't be cheap with the can of tomatoes. I tried it with a store brand variety and the soup tasted dull and watery. I like to season this right at end.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Serves 4

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 pinch ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

2 Tbs flour

1 28oz can whole roma tomatoes and juices (San Marzano is the best)

1 Tbs tomato paste

Pinch baking soda

2 cups chicken stock (low-sodium)

1 cup whole milk

Salt/freshly cracked pepper

1. Heat the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute.

2. Add the spices and flour - saute another minute until the spices become fragrant. Pour in the can of tomatoes, while stirring into the onion mixture. Add the paste, baking soda and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to create a smooth texture. Alternatively, use a blender, but make sure you do so in batches and that the soup has almost completely cooled before blending.

4. Add the milk to the soup and bring to a quick boil and then continue to simmer. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly cracked pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes and serve warm.