The Best Home Made Tomato Soup

I was raised on canned tomato Campbell's soup.  That's my go to in a tight spot along with a grilled cheese sandwich. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the salt.  And then when you buy the lower sodium, it tastes like, well, low salt tomato soup.  Here's a recipe that I made tonight.  My suggestion is to double or triple the recipe.  Let it cool completely before freezing.  If you don't, the condensation will dilute the soup.  I used low sodium chicken broth and no salt canned tomatoes.  I then added sea salt to the right taste for my husband and I.  I served with grilled chicken cutlets on whole wheat buns smeared with goat cheese and topped with an arugula salad lightly dressed with an Italian dressing. I have an emulsion blender so no need to bring out the big Cuisinart.  

Serves 8.

Photo by Scott Phillips

more about:

• thyme 
 
• dill 
 
• chives 
• basil 
 
• plum tomatoes 
• onions 
 
• garlic 
• chicken broth 
• granulated sugar 
• olive oil 
 
• kosher salt 
• black peppercorns

• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed and peeled
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
• 28-oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes, puréed (include the juice)
• 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil, chives, or dill, or a mixture of all three (omit if using one of the garnishes below)

TIP:

Be sure to purée in small batches and crack the blender lid slightly (or remove the center cap from the lid). Steam can build up once you start blending, and if the lid is on tight or the blender is overfilled, it will spray hot soup all over you and your kitchen. For protection, cover the top with a dishtowel while puréeing.

In a nonreactive 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic.

Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Discard the thyme sprig. Let cool briefly and then purée in two or three batches in a blender or food processor. Rinse the pot and return the soup to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat if necessary. Serve warm but not hot, garnished with the herbs or dolloped with one of the garnishes below.

Make Ahead Tips

This soup stores beautifully and tastes better the second day. You can keep it in the refrigerator as long as you bring it to a boil every two days. Or you can stash it in the freezer for up to three months.

Serving Suggestions

To add a creamy touch, try one of these garnishes:

Sour cream, goat cheese & Parmesan garnish: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese. Add 1 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 Tbs. thinly sliced chives, and 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a dollop to each serving.

Crème fraîche, herb & horseradish garnish: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup crème fraîche with 1 Tbs. minced fresh dill and 1 Tbs. minced scallion. Add 1/2 Tbs. well-drained prepared white horseradish and mix well. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a dollop to each serving.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 110; Fat (g): fat g 5; Fat Calories (kcal): 50; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 1.5; Protein (g): protein g 3; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 11; Polyunsaturated Fat (g):0.5; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 430; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 5; Fiber (g): fiber g 2;

Cast Iron Seared Pike with Braised Mustard Greens and White beans

I do a similar meal but use salmon instead of pike and kale instead of mustard greens.  Either way, this is a very simple, delicious, nutritious meal.  From the WSJ.  Serves 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

½ pound bacon, chopped

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 cups loosely packed mustard
greens, stemmed and roughly
chopped (or escarole)

Salt and freshly ground black
pepper

¾ cup chicken stock

2 cups cooked white beans
(see recipe online)

1½ teaspoons butter

4 pike fillets (or salmon or lake

trout), 6 ounces each

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
(or vege table oil)

1 cup firmly packed chopped

mixed fresh herbs

(e.g. parsley, tarragon,

watercress), stems removed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon olive oil

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and brown for about 2 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. Add greens and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add stock to greens and bacon. Cook for 1 minute, then add cooked white beans. Once beans are warmed through, after about 1 minute, fold in butter. Scrape beans-and-greens mixture into a bowl, along with its cooking liquid. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Wipe off cast-iron pan and place it over medium-high heat. Add grapeseed oil and then fish. Brown fillets for 1½ minutes on each side. Transfer pan to preheated oven and cook fish for 3½ minutes more. Meanwhile, put herbs in a small bowl and add lemon juice and olive oil. Toss and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5. To serve: Spoon the stew of beans and greens onto a platter. Top with fish fillets and garnish with dressed herbs.

Grilled Flat-Iron Steak with Charred Tomato Butter and Grilled Succotash

Flat iron steak is one of the best pieces of meat around for both taste and price.  I cook it all of the time.  And we southerners loves our succotash.  And it's very good for you, too.  Serves 4-6

• 2-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. plus 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. light brown sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lb. beef flat-iron steak
• 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed
• 6 scallions, trimmed
• 4 medium ears corn, shucked
• 2 large firm-ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise
• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbs. heavy cream

TIP:

To grill green beans, simply arrange the beans perpendicular to the grates. To flip, use a shoveling motion with your tongs to scoop up a few and turn them over.

Prepare a medium-high gas or charcoal grill fire. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbs. of the oil, 1 Tbs. of the mustard, the brown sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Brush all over the steak and set aside.

Brush the green beans, scallions, corn, and tomatoes all over with the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. oil and season with 1-1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until softened and lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes for the scallions, 3 to 5 minutes for the beans, 4 to 6 minutes for the tomatoes, and 8 to 10 minutes for the corn. Transfer to a platter as they finish and set aside.

Grill the steak, flipping once and brushing with any leftover mustard mixture, until medium rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak should read 130°F to 135°F), 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the steak to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slide the skins off the tomatoes. Chop the skins and put them in a small bowl. Add the butter, the remaining 1/2 tsp. mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper; mix with a spoon until almost smooth.

Seed and chop the tomatoes; transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Working over the bowl, scrape the dull side of a table knife down the length of each cob to remove as much of the corn “milk” as possible; discard the cobs. Roughly chop the green beans and scallions and add to the bowl along with the parsley, lime juice, and cream. Toss well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the steak against the grain, transfer to plates, and brush with some of the tomato butter. Serve with the succotash and remaining tomato butter on the side.

nutrition information (per serving): 
Calories (kcal): 480; Fat (g): 29; Fat Calories (kcal): 260; Saturated Fat (g): 12; Protein (g): 33; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 12; Carbohydrates (g): 22; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 860; Cholesterol (mg): 125; Fiber (g): 4;

PHOTO: SCOTT PHILLIPS

Steamed Salmon with Leeks, Shiitake, and Soy

Easy easy easy and delicious....I only use wild caught salmon but if you're into price, then use Atlantic.  It doesn't have the nutritional value as wild caught, but you ain't eating red meat! Serves 4

• 4 6-oz. boneless, skin-on salmon fillets (about 1-1/2 inches thick; preferably wild-caught)
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic (from 3 medium cloves)
• 1/2 cup halved and very thinly sliced leeks (white part only), rinsed (from 1 large)
• 2-1/2 oz. shiitake mushrooms (about 8 medium), stemmed and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Tbs. peanut oil
• 2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse the salmon and pat completely dry. Put the fillets skin side down in a shallow, 9-inch-wide, heatproof bowl or baking dish and let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the salmon with the red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper, and then sprinkle with the garlic, leeks, and mushrooms, in that order.

Add enough water to a 14-inch flat-bottom wok (preferably well-seasoned carbon steel) to measure 3/4 inch deep.

Put a 12-inch bamboo steamer in the wok. Cover the steamer and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Uncover, and then carefully set the bowl of salmon in the steamer. Cover the steamer and steam until the fish is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Check the outer pieces of salmon for doneness first by poking the thickest part with a chopstick or fork to see if it flakes. Using a spatula, transfer the outer pieces to a serving platter and continue to cook the inner two pieces for another 1 to 2 minutes, if necessary. Carefully remove the bowl from the wok and transfer the remaining salmon and any accumulated juice to the platter.

TIP:

If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, set a round metal rack with legs at least 1-1/4-inches high (so it’s elevated above the water) in the wok, put the bowl of salmon on the rack, and then cover the wok with its lid.

In a small skillet, heat the peanut and sesame oils over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Drizzle the salmon with the soy sauce, and then carefully pour the hot oil mixture over the fish—it’s likely to crackle and splatter a bit. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with Triple-Sesame Jasmine Rice.

nutrition information (per serving): 
Calories (kcal): 350; Fat (g): 18; Fat Calories (kcal): 160; Saturated Fat (g): 3; Protein (g): 39; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 5; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 7; Sodium (mg): 560; Cholesterol (mg): 105; Fiber (g): 1;

PHOTO: SCOTT PHILLIPS

Pasta with Chorizo and Chick Peas

Instead of using  Italian sausage, try for a change Mexican chorizo sausage.  It gives this dish a totally different flavor.  Chorizo does have a lot of fat in it, so I'd drain the sausage before adding to the rest of the dish.  Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small shallots, chopped
• ¾ lb. fresh Mexican chorizo or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
• 12 oz. small dried pasta (such as malloreddus or orecchiette)
• Kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Finely grated Parmesan and lemon zest (for serving)

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add chorizo; cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 5–7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes to skillet and cook, stirring, until paste darkens, about 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 15–20 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce. Cook, stirring and adding more cooking liquid as needed, until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 3 minutes.
• Serve pasta topped with parsley, if using, Parmesan, and lemon zest.
  
  
  

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

• Calories (kcal) 660
• Fat (g) 35
• Saturated Fat (g) 12
• Cholesterol (mg) 70
• Carbohydrates (g) 56
• Dietary Fiber (g) 4
• Total Sugars (g) 5
• Protein (g) 30
• Sodium (mg) 1450