| Roasted Tomato Soup for the Holidays Click here to get a free weekly "taste" of New England! Bring the heart of New England into your home with beautiful, affordable, high-quality New England prints. Visit our New England Art Gallery today! Click here for More Recipes! |
Roasted Tomato Soup
By Charlie Burke
Printer-friendly recipe
I’m impressed with how simple roasting of fresh or canned tomatoes
deepens and enriches their flavor. It sounds more complicated, but it is
actually simpler than cooking them in a pot. I have made pasta sauces
this way and always wonder why I make them any other way, especially
when fresh local tomatoes are unavailable. The roasting process here is
unchanged from making pasta or pizza sauce, except that a few sliced
cloves of garlic and a pinch of oregano or marjoram are added then. As in
the uncooked summer tomato sauce in the archives, sea salt’s bright
flavor makes a difference in this preparation.
Wanting something light and fresh to start Thanksgiving dinner, I came
up with this soup which has few ingredients but bursts with the intense
flavor of roasted tomatoes. Because it was a holiday dinner, fresh herb oil
and flavored croutons were added, but the soup is just fine on its own. A
swirl of crème fraiche or heavy cream would work, as would a sprinkle
of freshly chopped basil or parsley. The acidity of the tomatoes is
balanced with extra virgin olive oil, much as it is used with vinegar or
lemon in salad dressing, so more or less will be used because acidity
varies in tomatoes. I use only water in preparing most vegetable soups,
believing stocks can mask the flavor, but here half chicken stock and half
water is used to help mellow the sharpness of the tomatoes.
Roasting a mix of fresh heirloom tomatoes raises this preparation a level,
but we use this roasting recipe all year. Use home canned tomatoes if
available, but high quality commercially canned tomatoes are processed
at the peak of their flavor and are of excellent quality. When local fresh or
canned tomatoes are unavailable, we use domestic organic canned
tomatoes, which are the closest to fresh that we have found.
Six – eight first course servings:
2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled tomatoes, or equivalent amount of fresh
¾ cup water
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ cup finely chopped shallot or yellow onion (use onion for pasta sauce)
Sea salt or kosher salt, 3 teaspoons or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow
baking dish, such as a Pyrex 9 ½” by 13 ½ “, and pour in tomatoes and
juices. Mix in shallots and salt and pepper and drizzle the top with olive
oil. Cook for 35 – 45 minutes or until juices have thickened and slight
charring has occurred.
Let cool slightly, then blend in a food processor or pass through a food
mill using the finest disk. Roasting seems to soften the seeds to where
they are barely noticeable, so, unless you want a very smooth texture,
using the processor is certainly acceptable. Correct seasoning and, if the
flavor is too sharp or acidic, whisk in additional olive oil until flavors
balance.
Fresh herb oil:
1 cup fresh parsley or basil
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup canola oil
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 20 – 30 seconds.
Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (oil will
separate with storage but comes together easily when whisked).
Croutons:
2 cups crusty bread cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pinch cayenne
Salt and ground pepper
1 pinch cumin (optional)
Heat oil and garlic cloves over medium heat in a medium sauté pan.
When oil shimmers, add bread, tossing to coat with oil. Sprinkle on
remaining ingredients and cook, tossing frequently, until golden. Discard
garlic.
To Serve:
Reheat soup and blend with a whisk. Drizzle with herb oil and serve
croutons on the side.
This festive soup is colorful and full of flavor and can be made a few
days ahead. The green and red are perfect for Christmas dinner but its
preparation is simple enough for every day meals, so try roasting
tomatoes for this recipe or for rich pasta and pizza sauces, and you may
never boil tomato sauce in a pot again!
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice
president of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president
of the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton
(NH) Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows
certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Printer-friendly recipe
I’m impressed with how simple roasting of fresh or canned tomatoes
deepens and enriches their flavor. It sounds more complicated, but it is
actually simpler than cooking them in a pot. I have made pasta sauces
this way and always wonder why I make them any other way, especially
when fresh local tomatoes are unavailable. The roasting process here is
unchanged from making pasta or pizza sauce, except that a few sliced
cloves of garlic and a pinch of oregano or marjoram are added then. As in
the uncooked summer tomato sauce in the archives, sea salt’s bright
flavor makes a difference in this preparation.
Wanting something light and fresh to start Thanksgiving dinner, I came
up with this soup which has few ingredients but bursts with the intense
flavor of roasted tomatoes. Because it was a holiday dinner, fresh herb oil
and flavored croutons were added, but the soup is just fine on its own. A
swirl of crème fraiche or heavy cream would work, as would a sprinkle
of freshly chopped basil or parsley. The acidity of the tomatoes is
balanced with extra virgin olive oil, much as it is used with vinegar or
lemon in salad dressing, so more or less will be used because acidity
varies in tomatoes. I use only water in preparing most vegetable soups,
believing stocks can mask the flavor, but here half chicken stock and half
water is used to help mellow the sharpness of the tomatoes.
Roasting a mix of fresh heirloom tomatoes raises this preparation a level,
but we use this roasting recipe all year. Use home canned tomatoes if
available, but high quality commercially canned tomatoes are processed
at the peak of their flavor and are of excellent quality. When local fresh or
canned tomatoes are unavailable, we use domestic organic canned
tomatoes, which are the closest to fresh that we have found.
Six – eight first course servings:
2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled tomatoes, or equivalent amount of fresh
¾ cup water
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ cup finely chopped shallot or yellow onion (use onion for pasta sauce)
Sea salt or kosher salt, 3 teaspoons or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow
baking dish, such as a Pyrex 9 ½” by 13 ½ “, and pour in tomatoes and
juices. Mix in shallots and salt and pepper and drizzle the top with olive
oil. Cook for 35 – 45 minutes or until juices have thickened and slight
charring has occurred.
Let cool slightly, then blend in a food processor or pass through a food
mill using the finest disk. Roasting seems to soften the seeds to where
they are barely noticeable, so, unless you want a very smooth texture,
using the processor is certainly acceptable. Correct seasoning and, if the
flavor is too sharp or acidic, whisk in additional olive oil until flavors
balance.
Fresh herb oil:
1 cup fresh parsley or basil
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup canola oil
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 20 – 30 seconds.
Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (oil will
separate with storage but comes together easily when whisked).
Croutons:
2 cups crusty bread cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pinch cayenne
Salt and ground pepper
1 pinch cumin (optional)
Heat oil and garlic cloves over medium heat in a medium sauté pan.
When oil shimmers, add bread, tossing to coat with oil. Sprinkle on
remaining ingredients and cook, tossing frequently, until golden. Discard
garlic.
To Serve:
Reheat soup and blend with a whisk. Drizzle with herb oil and serve
croutons on the side.
This festive soup is colorful and full of flavor and can be made a few
days ahead. The green and red are perfect for Christmas dinner but its
preparation is simple enough for every day meals, so try roasting
tomatoes for this recipe or for rich pasta and pizza sauces, and you may
never boil tomato sauce in a pot again!
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice
president of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president
of the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton
(NH) Farmers' Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows
certified organic herbs, greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in
Sanbornton, NH.
| ©The Heart of New England online magazine ...celebrating the unique character of Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont Contact | The Heart of New England HOME | Search |
| The Heart of New England Celebrating the unique character & culture of Maine ~ New Hampshire ~ Vermont |
| Home ~ Life in New England ~ Recipes ~ Garden ~ Travel ~ B&B/Inns ~ Made in New England ~ Events ~ Art/Prints ~ Archives ~ About Us |
|
