Sunday, October 24, 2010

Perfect Tomato Soup

Back away from the Pacific Foods, the Amy's, and the Imagine. Though all of these may offer a perfectly serviceable soup when you find yourself hungry, desperate, and extremely short on time, the tomato soup from the completely brilliant Susan V of Fatfree Vegan doesn't take much more time and is soooo much more delicious. C and I were engaged in a bit of impromptu brainstorming as we attempted to sort out what to have for dinner on our first night at home from Florida. When C kept saying the word "soup" with a single-mindedness not to be lightly ignored, I went straight to the recipe index on Susan's blog. When I saw her recipe for Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs, I knew I had a winner. And wow. I loved this soup. Susan's stroke of genius is blending roasted garlic with fire-roasted tomatoes. Though the recipe indicates adding a bit of sugar or agave to cut down on the acidity, I didn't think it was necessary at all. I also doubled it, added a bit more garlic, skipped the celery and cayenne, and opted out of the yogurt and croutons she suggests as toppings. I'm including her recipe below, revised to reflect my changes, along with my method for roasting garlic. Don't skip clicking the link because she also includes directions on how to produce your own fire roasted tomatoes if you are averse to the canned varieties. (Also, her blog kicks ass.) We had this soup on a chilly evening in early fall with some cabbage and edamame and a grilled Daiya sandwich. I will be making this again soon.

Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs

1 large onion, diced
1 28-ounce can Muir Glen Fire-Roasted diced tomatoes
1 28-ounce can Muir Glen Fire-Roasted crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
2 cubes veggie broth
2 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons rosemary
10 cloves roasted garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent, then add everything but the garlic and simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes.
Transfer half of the soup to the blender, add the roasted garlic, and puree until fairly smooth.  Add the salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Roasted Garlic

Form a pouch from a square of aluminum foil large enough to hold the amount of garlic you want to roast. Drizzle the garlic with a little olive oil and pinch the pouch closed. Bake in 400 oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pouch and test the garlic. When you can pierce a clove easily with the tine of a fork, put the open pouch back in the oven for another 10 minutes. This shorter, open roasting lightly caramelizes the garlic and enhances the flavors and sweetness. 

1 comment:

Nadia said...

great u found the vegan donuts divine :) like the think glaze u made