immersion blender

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

The Best Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This is one of my favorite creamy soups. My dad believes that any meal without tomatoes is not actually a meal. My mother’s only experience with tomato soup, however, was the condensed variety from a can. I wanted to make him something special so I created this recipe specifically for him and it is also the recipe I am asked for most often.

This recipe is the perfect combination of creamy and chunky. I have found that even the non-tomato-soup loving people, my mother included, become fans after trying it.

Be sure to blend with care.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1 28-ounce can, whole-peeled tomatoes with juices
½ stick butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, diced into small pieces
1 large carrot, grated
2 bay leaves
1 large garlic clove
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups tomato juice
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 14.5-ounce can, small-diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, melt half of the butter and add flour to make a roux.  (A “roux” is a French word for a thickener.)  To make a roux, stir the flour into the butter until it looks like wet sand and let this boil for two to three minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not burn.  It should still be light in color, not brown, set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the other half of the butter and sauté the onion, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, and basil for 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato juice to the sauté mixture and bring to a light boil for 20 minutes.
Turn down the heat to simmer. Add the heavy cream and milk and lightly simmer for an additional 20 minutes be sure not to boil the soup after this point so you don’t curdle the cream.

After 20 minutes remove the bay leaves. Add one cup of soup to the small roux pan. Stir to combine until it is thick and almost paste-like.  Add this mixture to the remaining soup, stir, and simmer about five minutes until the soup thickens.

With a stick blender or carefully in a beverage blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth.
Return the puree mixture to the soup pot.  Add the can of diced tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes about 10 cups.

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Blender

Don’t Let this Blender Disaster Happen to You

Blender Disaster

It is that time of year again, slowly getting chilly out which always makes me want a nice warm bowl of soup. I love to make soup in large batches and freeze it so it ready for quick winter meals. However, we all have those “oh no” moments in the kitchen. A friend sent me this picture of her latest day making soups for the winter. Needless to say she spent more time cleaning than she did cooking. These little mishaps can ruin a day of cooking and keep any novice cook far from entering the kitchen. Don’t let these things discourage you! Clean it up, share the story for a few laughs and keep on moving. After all, it is just soup and that is why we have paper towels. See below on how to avoid this from happening to you.

Today’s Kitchen Tip
Here is how to avoid making more soup on your cupboards than in your bowl. The science behind it is actually very simple but I am not the one for being to scientific, so I will keep it simple basically, when you heat gas it expands. So when you put hot liquid in a blender and trap the steam with a lid and turn on the blender – the hot air gets pulled into the liquid as it expands and then blows the top off. In order to be safe and avoid sending scaling hot soup all over your kitchen follow the recommendations below.

  • Blend in small batches, only fill the blender with 1/3 maybe even less liquid
  • Hold on Tight, with a dry dish towel cover the lid and hold the lid of the blender firmly in place
  • Slow is better, start by turning the blender on the slowest speed possible

* If you are blending lots of soups look into purchasing a “stick” or an “immersion blender”. Then you can blend directly in the pot

Pick up your copy of The Pretty Plate for more simple techniques and recipes, and learn about the five elements to make your everyday meals magnificent.

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