SAN ANTONIO – There’s nothing like a hot bowl of tomato soup on a chilly day. Check out this recipe with a French twist by The Culinary Cottage.
Good cook practices: Read the entire recipe before you begin cooking. Get out all ingredients and cooking tools; chop and prep all ingredients prior to cooking (Mise en place). Remember that times are given in recipes as a guide – always keep an eye on what you are cooking/baking and use your senses (how does it look, feel, taste, etc.) Be creative and have fun!
Watch the video below for extra pointers.
Roasted tomato soup with basil pistou
Created by Nicole Flowers, The Culinary Cottage
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ pounds fresh Roma tomatoes, still somewhat firm
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and a small amount of sugar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, small dice
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon double concentrate tomato paste
- 2 cups good quality chicken stock (homemade preferred, Better Than Bouillon as second option)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- Basil pistou for finishing
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450°F. Wash tomatoes and cut into halves lengthwise. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle evenly with ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and several pinches of sugar. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to collapse. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Add roasted tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Using an immersion blender or food processor, purée soup until smooth, doing so in batches if necessary. For a much silkier texture, you can strain the purée through a fine mesh sieve.
Reduce heat to low and stir in cream little by little until desired texture is reached, and soup is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, adding more salt and up to 1 teaspoon of sugar if necessary (if soup is too acidic). Drizzle with basil pistou.
Tip: This soup is fantastic alongside a classic grilled cheese.
Basil Pistou
Pistou is a Provençal cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil. It is like pesto but does not have pine nuts or cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 large or 2 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Directions:
Put everything in a food processor or blender and pulse until a smooth sauce is achieved. You can also use an immersion blender. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Did you know you can take cooking classes at The Culinary Cottage? Check out the website here.