Creamy Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is like my white whale. I’ve made so many tomato soups over the years, and I felt like I could never really nail it. The no. 1 issue - always the texture. It always turned out so grainy and just not perfectly smooth like canned stuff. & that was my goal - recreate the tomato soup I grew up eating, but make it better & free of the not so awesome shit we all know is hidden in canned products that don’t go bad for like 3 years. When Sunday finally came around, and my husband asked me what I wanted to do with my day off, the answer was “something I just want to do and not something I have to do.” That something this week was perfecting tomato soup.
There are a few details that characterize a really good tomato soup - creamy, velvety, light. It’s not the easiest thing to get right, & my repeated not so great, don’t need to try that again attempts is what set that in stone for me. But this Creamy Tomato Soup ticks all the boxes. It was a meal cooked for my husband while he’s not feeling so great, so if there’s any time to hit a classic out of the park, it’s when you’re cooking for someone sick, and a warm, comforting meal is one of the few things can lift your spirits. In this case it was tomato soup + Zombieland.
The ingredients, the cooking process, & pretty much everything else is easy. It’s the whole pureeing piece that has been my nightmare in previous attempts. Key to the perfect pureed soup - like perfectly creamy & silky kind of pureed soup - is an immersion blender. & using for like at least 3 minutes. Essentially when it looks pureed, keep going to really liquify the whole thing. It’s literally my favorite kitchen tool, & by far the best thing we registered for (bless the person’s soul who gifted it to us!). When it comes to soup making, you can’t overuse the immersion blender. I sometimes even just set a timer on my phone and just blend to my hearts content until the ol’ timer goes off.
For some extra umami, I add in sun-dried tomatoes. Sun dried tomatoes have this tangy, super concentrated tomato flavor. They pack acidity and a distinctive bite that’s like the total opposite of this creamy soup, and it boosts the tomato flavor. My method - mince up the tomatoes so small that the tomato pieces + oil almost looks like a paste. When they get dumped into the soup, the chunks break up and the soup is speckled with little bright red pieces. Also - always buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil. So much more delicious than dry packed tomatoes!
Don’t overthink the grilled cheese. Butter & bread & cheese. That’s all you need. I definitely caught myself thinking how can I elevate this? Make it special? & it’s just not necessary. I mean set yourself up for success by getting a cheese that melts. But all that matters is that in the end you get something crunchy & buttery to dunk into the soup. & having a cheese that so melty & stringy with each bite the no. 1 most satisfying element. So in this instance - don’t overthink it. No pretentious cheese, fancy spreads - whatever.
Successful mean + a successful movie night, despite one of us not feeling so hot. Fingers crossed enjoying a childhood fav is step 1 on the road to recovery.
For the Soup
1/4 c. butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt & pepper
1-28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
3 c. chicken stock
2 c. half & half
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 tbsp fresh chives, thinly sliced
For the Grilled Cheese
3 tbsp butter
1 French baguette
1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper-jack, swiss, mozzarella - anything that melts)
Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the butter. Once melted, add in the shallots & celery, and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add in the tomatoes (with juice), broth, and half & half. Bring the soup to a boil, and let it cook on high for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, letting the soup cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Once done, remove the soup from the heat, and puree with an immersion blender. Don’t skimp on the blending time. Puree for at least 3 minutes, or until the grainy texture is gone, & you’re left with a velvety smooth mixture. Return the soup to low heat. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, cover, & let cook.
Now time to make the grilled cheese. Set aside enough baguette slices for as many grilled cheese sandwiches as you’d like to make - 2 per sandwich (duh). Get out a large skillet and place it over medium high heat. Add in the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add in half the bread slices, topping each with about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Press the cheese down firmly onto the baguette slices. Place the other half of the bread on each sandwich. Let cook for 3 minutes, and flip.
Ladle the soup into bowls, & sprinkle with some fresh chives. Be prepped and ready to dunk warm and buttery grilled cheese right on in.