Simply tomatoes soup

many dates

This 1st recipe is as simple as it gets: pure tomatoes, water and optional salt for seasoning.

Tomato soup is probably the most popular soup in the world, with endless variations. I make it quite often. Unlike for sauces where we prefer plum tomatoes, juicy tomatoes are just fine for soups. We also don't have to reduce the soup as far as we do for tomato sauce, although some reduction will intensify the flavor.

Tomatoes can be very acidic. To reduce acidity, add water, stock, cream, milk, bread, potatoes, vegetables, etc. For lack of better, a small amount of baking soda aka sodium bicarbonate will work too, but don't overdo that. The salt that baking soda forms after reaction with the acid—sodium chloride—has an unpleasant by-taste in larger concentrations.

Some people like add starches (wheat, corn, potato) to thicken the soup.
I do occasionally add diced potatoes.
I avoid flour because I don't care for the taste of wheat flour in tomato soup.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 2-3 servings:

2-3 lbs. fresh tomatoes

optional:

salt

Pic1: tomatoes-only soup, not blended

Directions

2020-06-02

Pic2-4: boil tomatoes

Wash the tomatoes.
Optional:
- Blanch and peel the larger tomatoes.
- Core and halve / quarter the larger tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and simmer until the tomatoes get soft and start falling apart.
Add 4 cups of water. Season to taste.

Pic5-7: simmer tomato soup

Bring to a boil again. Simmer for 1 hr.
There will probably still be lumps in the soup by then.
Optional:
- Blend the soup until smooth. I do this 95% of the time.
- Strain the soup or push it through a food mill to remove the peels and solids.
  I do this much less often.
Serve and enjoy.

2018-11-19: another day, another tomato soup

Pic8: homegrown tomatoes
Pic9: simmer
Pic10: optional: blend

creamed tomato soup

many dates

This is exactly the same as above, with one extra step: the soup is blended to eliminate any lumps there may still be after boiling. This can be done with a colander / sieve, a blender (stand or stick,) or a food mill.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4-6 servings:

2 lbs. plum tomatoes, peeled, cored
S&P
Optional:
- garlic
- onion
- carrots
- potatoes OR
  oil dough as a thickener
- etc.

Pic11: cream of tomato soup

Directions

2021-09-11

Pic12: peeled tomatoes
Pic13: blending
Pic14: creamed

Optional:
- Peel and core the tomatoes after dipping them 30 seconds in boiling water.
  I don't usually do that. If the peels annoy me, I just fish them out of the soup later on or I blend them into the soup. A food mill does an even better job at getting rid of them.
Cut the tomatoes in half. Quarter the large tomatoes.
If you don't want the peels, make as few cuts as possible.
Optional:
- Stew the tomatoes until soft.
- Crush the tomatoes.
Add 1 qt. water. S&P and your favorite spices to taste.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes.
Puree the tomatoes with a stick blender or push them through a food mill until completely smooth.
Simmer 5 more minutes.
Serve and enjoy.

Serving suggestions:

Strain the soup before serving to remove pieces of peels and solids for a smoother, silkier soup.
Add other vegetables while cooking the soup.
Add 1 tbsp. heavy cream to each bowl.
Add sliced avocado to each bowl.
Add diced queso fresco to each bowl.
Add brie or crumbled blue cheese to each bowl.

cream of tomato soup

This is done by adding heavy cream to creamed tomato soup.

A word of warning: if the tomatoes are too acidic, the cream may break immediately (Pic17) and form cheese curdles. That doesn't look very nice and it makes little lumps in the soup. Blending the soup again may resolve the unsightliness and lumpiness to some extent, but curdling is a chemical change in the cream that cannot be undone.

It is possible to make beautiful designs with cream. I did the 2 below with a spoon, but with a pipet (e.g. a gravy baster) and a steady artistic hand, it is possible to make intricate designs.

2021-09-11

Pic15-17: divided spiral

Pic18-20: starburst

cream of tomato soup

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more and avemariasongs.org

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more
and avemariasongs.org