Tomato Soup

English_Rose's Note:

For a luxurious soup try this sophisticated recipe, flavoured with fresh herbs and enriched with cream. A favourite in the UK for comforting when you are feeling unwell.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/4 lbs tomatoes
• 1 pint chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaf, stalks reserved
• 2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 7 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream

To serve

• cream
• crouton

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened - around 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, without letting it colour.
4. Skin, deseed and chopped the tomatoes, saving the juice.
5. Tip in the tomatoes along with their juice, and add the stock, sun-dried tomato paste, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
6. In a separate small saucepan heat together the vinegar, sugar and basil stalks and cook briskly until reduced by half. Strain and reserve.
7. In a food processor or blender, puree the tomato soup until smooth. Return to the pan and reheat. Stir in the heavy cream.
8. Add enough of the vinegar reduction to sharpen.
9. Serve with a swirl of cream.

Reviews

[Karen Elizabeth]

An excellent soup, chock full of goodness. I was very pleased to get a bulk bag of lovely tomatoes on special, so in fact I doubled up on this soup, using up the last of the celery, and I'm glad I did, after last nights supper there is just enough left for DHs lunch today! I did use vegetable rather than chicken stock, and I didn't use cream to garnish - I'm sure it would be fantastic, but I am currently in love with fried garlic pita bread chips as garnish, and it just doesn't need the cream as well!
I roughly pureed it so that the soup was still just a little chunky rather than completely smooth, and wow, we enjoyed it so much, even the girls, who are not big soup lovers. Definitely a new favourite, thanks for sharing, English Rose!