I am not a fan of canned tomato soup, one of those remnants of my picky-eater childhood. Not even grilled cheese sandwiches could persuade me otherwise. So it’s a source of private amusement to me that this soup is one of my favorites. It’s rich, creamy, deeply satisfying and an absolutely fabulous first course for a fancy dinner or a main course for a Sunday night with a good salad and the legendary crusty bread. (Or a grilled cheese sandwich, haute or ordinaire.)
It’s another one from the Café Beaujolais Cookbook. Author Margaret Fox even says that she thinks canned tomatoes are better than fresh ones here. She suggests canned crushed whole tomatoes. Because it’s what I have on hand, I usually use canned whole tomatoes that aren’t marked "crushed," but I break them up over a strainer on top of a large bowl so that those dumb seeds get caught and don’t end up in the soup. Then I measure the juice, the broken-up tomatoes and any liquid from inside the tomatoes that goes through the strainer.
The recipe calls for heavy cream and half and half. I almost never make it that rich; my usual combination is a cup of heavy non-ultrapasteurized (it tastes better) cream and the rest lowfat milk. It actually comes out to 5/6 of a cup, but you can be a little casual about the exact amount.
TOMATO BISQUE
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. dill
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
5 c. tomatoes (see notes above)
4 c. chicken stock
2 Tbs. flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (she suggests white; I use white or fresh-ground black)
1/4 c. chopped parsley
4 tsp. honey
1 1/4 c. heavy cream (see milk discussion in paragraph above)
2/3 c. half-and-half
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions, dill and oregano and cook until onions become translucent, or sort of clear. Add the flour, stir it in and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper. Stir and raise the heat to high. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Drop the heat to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes.
Add parsley and honey Remove from heat, let cool, a little or a lot, and puree. Add whatever milk/cream you’re using and reheat. This makes about 9 cups, so figure on it serving 6, but, as always, who knows? People often want seconds.
-Ann
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Hi Joe and Ann, thanks so much for mentioning my book in your column. I am thrilled to know you hold it in such high regard! Margaret