Simple Tomato Soup

I just made tomato soup from scratch. It's my first time actually. Aside from mushroom and corn soup, tomato soup is also a favorite. One stormy weekend, I went out to buy some sandwiches in a nearby Subway. While waiting for the sandwiches, I ordered a small cup of  tomato soup. It was very rich and yummy. With that, I also bought some for my boys and they loved it too. So this week, I decided to make home-cooked tomato soup.

The secret to a rich tomato soup are roasted fresh, ripe tomatoes. It brings out the natural sweetness and flavor of the tomatoes. Chicken stock is also a key ingredient. I bought chicken stock from the grocery just to shorten the process, but you can make your own stock as well.

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe tomatoes (roasted)

In roasting, cut medium sized tomatoes into half , place it in a baking pan or dish, then season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary then roast it in the oven for 20 minutes. Usually, garlic is included, but in my case, I like to saute the garlic with the onions in a separate pan before mixing everything together. 

• 2 400g can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup green peas
• 1 tsp dried basil or fresh
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• a dash of salt and black pepper

Important Equipment:

• Blender or food processor or hand blender
• Baking dish for roasting

Procedure:

• After roasting the seasoned fresh tomatoes, cool it down for a few minutes and place it in the blender. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and blend it together until smooth. If you're using a hand blender, pour the roasted tomatoes after the rest of the ingredients are sauteed, then blend everything together.
• After blending the tomatoes, set it aside.
• In a separate sauce pan, heat olive oil.
• Saute onions and garlic both at the same time, stir for a few seconds.
• Add the remaining can of diced tomatoes and green peas. Mix and simmer for a few seconds.
• Add the chicken stock and simmer again for about a minute.
• Add the roasted tomato mix and simmer for 10- 15 minutes until thick.
• Add more chicken stock if necessary.
• In low fire, Add heavy cream and dried basil, stir and simmer again for 3- 5 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Adjust according to preference.
• Simmer the tomato soup until smooth and thick.

Best served with Parmesan croutons and grilled cheese.

I'm a happy cook! I was able to create a simple Tomato Soup recipe. It is very healthy especially tomatoes are rich in Lycopene, a cancer- fighting agent. It sure feels good knowing that I can make a healthy soup anytime I want to. This will probably end up on my weekly menu. Just like Okra, it's best to include healthy dishes if not daily at least, on a weekly basis, or just jumble these dishes to serve something new and healthy everyday.