Making tomato soup with helpful totSunday, August 23, 2009 Last autumn, when I happened to have beautiful tomatoes from Tierra Vegetable Farm in Healdsburg, I found out that my 3-year-old granddaughter, Milena, loves tomato soup. So I got right to work. I organized the ingredients on the counter, first coring the tomatoes and halving them. I wanted to try my theory that roasting, rather than sauteing, would be the best way to bring out their sweetness. Milena just wanted to know when the soup would be ready. I laid out the halved tomatoes and the garlic on a dark roasting pan, and drizzled them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - another step that enhances the sweetness. I needed to give Milena something to do during the roasting process, so she helped me snip basil leaves with her little scissors. When the roasting was done, I removed the pan and allowed the tomatoes to cool a little (20 minutes if Milena isn't waiting, 10 minutes if she is). While the tomatoes cooled, I sauteed some onions into sweetness. Now all you have to do is puree it all with a little water for consistency. Add basil at the end. There was no more fussing to be done, because Milena was like a customer at a new restaurant. I spooned some soup into her little white bowl, sprinkled some basil on top (she remembered the basil because she had helped snip it). She took the first bite with her Snow White spoon and ate her soup all the way down to the glistening bottom of the bowl. "More," she said. Then five minutes later, "More." A cook need hear no other compliment than "More" from a granddaughter named Milena. Milena's Roasted Tomato SoupThe roasting enhances the tomato sweetness, and the optional slice of squash adds creaminess to the soup. Makes about 6 servings (about 5 cups).
Instructions: Preheat oven to 425°. Core tomatoes and cut in half. Place a wire strainer over a large bowl and squeeze out the seeds, trapping them in the strainer. Discard the seeds and reserve juices (about 1/2 cup) for adding to the soup. Place the halved tomatoes on a nonreactive baking sheet, preferably a dark one (it will aid the browning process). Add the garlic. Place the slices of butternut squash, if using, on the edge of sheet (butternut adds thickening power and sweetness). Drizzle with about 1/4 cup olive oil, and toss with your hands. Sprinkle with the vinegar, then with about 1 teaspoon kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle the sugar over the squash. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast about 35-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are well caramelized. While tomatoes are roasting, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. When the vegetables are nicely browned, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool. Peel the skin off most of the tomatoes, husk the garlic and peel the squash. Working in two to three batches, place about a third of the contents of the baking sheet, the onions and basil in a blender and puree, adding about 2 cups water total, to achieve a souplike consistency; it's fine to leave some chunks. Alternately, you can place all the vegetables and basil in a large pot, add some water, and use an immersion blender to puree. Do not use a food processor as it doesn't do liquids well and you can end up with a mess. Pour the puree into a large pot, adding more water if necessary if you think soup is too thick. Blend and adjust seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, brown sugar and basil. Stir in half-and-half, if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnished with a bit of cream, creme fraiche and basil leaf, if desired. Per serving: 122 calories, 1 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (2 g saturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Jacqueline Higuera McMahan's family lived on one of the last Spanish land-grant ranchos in the Bay Area and is the author of "California Rancho Cooking" (Sasquatch Books, 2003). She has lived in Mexico and now resides in Southern California. E-mail her at food@sfchronicle.com. This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle |
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