Fresh & Creamy Tomato Soup

One of the things I most enjoy about this little corner of my world is being able to share my favorite recipes with you…the ones I’ve been making for years that we’ve enjoyed time and again at our dinner table and the ones my husband and my girls repeatedly request. In short, our family favorites. I’m working my way through sharing them and have already posted a few that regularly appear on our family table, such as Cuban Chicken Fricassee (my husband’s all-time favorite), Gallo Pinto (my girls’ favorite side dish), and this Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Gumbo (always a hit). Now that Summer is nearing and tomatoes are juicy and in season, it’s a perfect time to tell you about one of our favorite soups – Fresh & Creamy Tomato Soup.

This soup. Please make it. I promise you’ll love it. It is pure fresh tomato bliss and tastes nothing like any other tomato soup I’ve ever had. It’s light yet creamy, packed with fresh tomato flavor, and not overly salty as many tomato soups can be. It’s the perfect tomato soup. I’ve been making this recipe for about 10 years now and haven’t found a better one since.

Before I dive in to the recipe, I’ll share the amusing story of how I came across the cookbook that I found it in. On a summer day many years ago, my dad was moving to a new home. He loaded the last few items into his car for the three hour drive to South Florida. Among those, was a large cage with two birds. He loved birds and had two sweet gray and yellow cockatiels that he didn’t trust anyone else to transport. He placed the cage on the back seat of his car and started his  southward drive on I-95. About 30 minutes into it, the birds got out and started flying around the car in all directions. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with I-95 in South Florida, but it can be pretty scary. Adding flying birds to the mix is 100% jeopardy…literally highway to the danger zone. Miraculously, he and the birds arrived safely (two and a half hours later) aside from maybe a little PTSD, but nothing that a glass of wine or two couldn’t fix. The birds thought it was great. The image of it all in full swing is still amusing to me years later. Anyway, it was while helping him unpack his car after that memorable drive that I found this Neiman Marcus cookbook, No Jacket Required, which would become one of my favorites in the years to come.

In the book, this recipe is called Casually Elegant Tomato Soup and I totally agree that it can be enjoyed at either a casual gathering or a special occasion. Most other tomato soup recipes I’ve made over the years start off with canned tomatoes. While I have nothing against canned tomatoes and use them very often when I cook, in this case, I find fresh tomatoes irreplaceable. Having said that, I realize that they aren’t in season year round. Canned tomatoes do come in very handy in the Fall and winter months, but when they’re at their peak, why not use fresh? Now’s the perfect time. I’ll show you how.

The best thing about this recipe (aside from the taste) is that it requires very few ingredients. Since the flavor of this soup depends entirely on the tomatoes used, make sure they look bright red and feel ripe when squeezed gently. Use 6 large or 7-8 medium tomatoes. I use chicken stock, but to make this recipe vegetarian, you can easily substitute it with vegetable stock.

Typically, recipes that involves fresh tomatoes often require passing the finished soup through a food mill to smooth it out and ensure that the tomato peels are left behind. I don’t have a food mill and I find that instead, you can just peel the tomatoes prior to cooking. I know that sounds tedious, but there’s a very simple trick I’ll share with you to get your all of tomatoes peeled effortlessly and in seconds. I actually find it weirdly satisfying.

Blanching (for those who don’t know) is the process of briefly placing a food (in this case tomatoes) into boiling water for a few seconds and then placing into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. It’s easy to do. It just requires a large pot of boiling water and a large bowl of cold water with ice. After coring the tomatoes with a paring knife, score an X onto the bottom of each. Submerge them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then, immediately place them into the ice bath. The peels will come right off. This handy little trick works well for peeling other thin-skinned fruits too, such as peaches or apples.

Once the tomatoes are all peeled, they get chopped and cooked down with onions and garlic until they are soft and falling apart. Chicken stock is then added and the soup is simmered for 20 minutes. The original recipe then says to strain the solids out. Instead, I prefer to puree it. I think it adds better texture and creaminess this way. It’s finished with a little cream and that’s it.

I hope you feel inclined to make this Fresh & Creamy Tomato Soup now that Summer’s almost here and tomatoes are at their peak. It’s truly worth the effort and you’ll be so happy when you taste it. You can make it a couple of days ahead too and then just reheat and enjoy with your favorite green salad or a melty grilled cheese sandwich. It’s absolutely delicious.