{Creamy Tomato Soup with Sage & Cheese Toasties}





As you can see I am practically throwing myself at autumn, making crumbles and soups and yesterday it was 28 degrees, I wore a sweatshirt to pick up the wee pea from kinder and suddenly realised it wasn't really soup weather, still I pressed on and I'm glad I did because it was a gorgeous dinner. 

I love soup, I love it sitting there bubbling away on the stove, you can serve a bowl at a moments notice to anyone who utters the words "i'm hungry", just like yesterday "oh darling" I said wiping my hands on my apron, "here you go have a nice warm bowl of soup", the response to which was "mum I'm hot can I have an iceblock instead" darn it I am peaking too early again.

...the soup
2 x 800g tins of whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 

3 cups juice reserved
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
60g unsalted butter
4 large shallots, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
a pinch of allspice
2 tbsp plain flour
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
2 tbsp brandy or dry sherry

s+p

Preheat the oven to 220 and line a rimmed baking dish with foil. With your fingers, carefully open whole tomatoes over a sieve set in bowl and push out the seeds, allowing juices to fall through sieve into the bowl (you need 3 cups of seedless juice). Spread seeded tomatoes in single layer on foil, sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to colour, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the butter over medium heat in large soup pan or casserole dish until foaming. Add in the shallots, tomato paste and allspice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about a minute then gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly to combine, stir in reserved tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to medium, and bring to a boil, once it done that reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Next you want to blend it till smooth, I just used my handheld blender. Add cream and warm over low heat until hot, don't boil it once the cream has been added. Off the heat, stir in the brandy and season with salt and cayenne or black pepper.

Get a nice loaf of bread and make cheese toasties, when you butter the outside slices press some sage leaves in and cook as usual, nice one.

Comments

  1. Your post just made me realise that even though I've made a lot of soup in my time, I've never once made tomato soup. I guess it's because there's a real lack of good tomatoes for sale and I've never grown enough to make a soup. I'm completely over buying tomatoes that taste like nothing at the supermarket. I never thought of using tinned ones. The tinned ones are usually really flavourful too. Nice work. P.S. I like your use of sage. I love sage. My husband picked them out because he thinks they were a garnish. But I make him eat them and he loved them. It didn't hurt that the dish I made them with meant the sage leaves were crispy roasted and coated in cheese!

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  2. Now that's how to make a flavourful tomato soup! Love the addition of the brandy/sherry, I can imagine that gives it a beautiful additional layer of taste. Mmmmm.

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  3. oh is this the soup you were talking to me about at the park?? looks divine, i love that it's roasted first!!! And i can just imagine you prancing about your kitchen in your retro apron dishing it out xx

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  4. just making this soup today to ward off the sickies! kids are a little better, i had planned to make you a birthday cake today, but well, next week perhaps! the smell of this soup as it's cooking is just divine! here's hoping the kids eat it! much love xx

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