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During the transitional month of September I usually always make two things: tomato confit and Roasted Tomato Soup. Both are pretty hands-off, easy to make, and extend the joy of summer tomatoes into fall. Maybe even winter if stored in the freezer. This year, as we are coming up on the end of September, I haven’t gotten around to Roasted Tomato Soup and was planning on skipping it altogether. I’m a little peeved at my tomato growing situation and failing for the second year in a row has been frustrating, to say the least. I am happy to provide my deer with extra nutrients but I didn’t get a single early girl tomato!
To my surprise, my mother (a woman who cooks very few things) has been making Roasted Tomato Soup this year! She made a big batch last week and I was able to try a little taste test while we visited. I was prepared to lie and tell her it was great even if it was mediocre but I was amazed when I took a bite—it was really damn good.
Before heading home on Sunday we shopped at the Brentwood Farmers Market and Marco carried another five pounds of heirloom tomatoes home for her. This week she has made a second batch and has been giving bowls to her neighbors like she is Suzy Homemaker.
The best part about this recipe is you can wing it and it will still turn out great. My mom doesn’t have a scale so she eyeballed the total amount of tomatoes and alliums. She didn’t have shallots and made a substitution with red onion. Same with fresh oregano, she added a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a pinch of dried oregano. I like to add chilis to my soup for a kick, she adds dried Aleppo pepper, but that’s also up to you. Any way you wing it, it will come out tasty, promise!
There are only three steps:
Wash and cut your ingredients
Roast everything
Puree it all
I’m confident in our abilities to successfully make this soup but, as always, if you need more help leave a comment below. Make sure to freeze this soup to fulfill your tomato cravings this winter.
Oh, and if you want a real treat, make some Cheesy Rice Crisps. Take some rice (leftover rice is great) and combine it with grated pecorino cheese. 1:1 ratio. Let’s say 2 cups rice and 2 cups grated pecorino. Parmesan also works great here. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the rice and cheese mixture evenly but thinly and lightly press it down making one big rice “patty.” Cook until golden and crispy. When crisp it will release from the pan easily when you slide a fish spatula under it. If you are really pulling, give it a few more minutes. Flip and cook for another minute on the second side. 90% of the cooking is done on the first side. Don’t rush, let things get golden and crispy. These cheesy rice crisps are like a hybrid of parmesan crisps and tahdig. They are heavenly! Crumble over your soup or eat as a snack!
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Slow Roasted Tomato Soup
5lbs Tomatoes, any in-season variety
½ lb Shallot, onions, or a combination of both
2 handfuls Fresh basil with the stems
5 sprigs Fresh oregano
3 Garlic cloves
⅓ cup Olive oil
1-2 cups Chicken broth
Optional: Fresh or dried chilis, stem and seeds removed
Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare the tomatoes, cut large tomatoes in quarters, small tomatoes in half, and leave cherry tomatoes whole. Remove any bruises or stems. Remove the outer layer and ends of the shallot and/or onions. Cut large onions in half. Peel garlic cloves and leave whole.
In a dutch oven or stainless steel pot, avoid castiron or copper, combine tomatoes, onion, herbs (with stems), garlic, olive oil, and chilis (if using). Leave uncovered and roast undisturbed for 2 hours. Tomatoes should be soft, juicy, and slightly caramelized around the edges.
Remove the oregano stems and thick basil stems leaving leaves in the pot. Working in batches, puree tomatoes in a blender until completely smooth. Add pureed tomatoes back into the pot. Thin the mixture with chicken broth as needed to get your desired consistency.
Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Make an extra-large batch and freeze the soup to eat all fall and winter!
This is our last dance with tomatoes for the season. I’m not buying any more (besides cherries) out here in KC. Make sure to freeze some of this for sad tomato-less winter.
Talk to you next week! M