sprinklefingers

i’ve talked about tomato-cheddar soup here before. i’ve actually talked about it a lot. because it’s so good it’s worth talking about. a lot.

last night though, we were having grilled cheese (and salami!) sandwiches and i really, really wanted some soup to go along side (instead of the salad i had previously planned to serve. it was 29 degrees here yesterday and salad just wasn’t going to cut it.)  anyways, i got home and dug through the pantry to see if i could find the makings for an easy tomato soup…and lucky for us, the last time i was at the market i over-bought canned tomatoes. sweet! soup!

i called my kid (who is 3, remember,) into the kitchen to help with dinner prep. [whenever this happens he ALWAYS insists on wearing an apron and a chef’s hat. he also has his own set of knives and a set of pastry tools so he gets those out for good measure, regardless of what we’re making.] he helped me chop an onion until he could no longer stand the stinging eyes. then he helped me pour olive oil and plop butter into the soup pot. THEN his father came home. and the kid turned to me and said, “mommy, this was fun, but dad’s home. and we’re going to go play santa & his sleigh. daddy is going to be all the reindeer and the elves and i’m going to be santa. can you find some wrapping-up paper for me?” and with that, he was off.

i was left to figure out easy tomato soup on my own.

easy tomato soup
serves 4

you need:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 14oz can PLUS 1 28 oz can whole, peeled plum tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup half & half

to make the soup:

1. heat the olive oil and butter in a nonreactive soup pot over medium heat.
2. add the chopped onion and minced garlic and let cook until golden but nowhere near burning.
3. add the 2 cans of tomatoes and the stock.
4. put a lid on the pot and let boil for 15 minutes.
5. remove the lid of the pot and let simmer for 15 more minutes without the lid.
6. using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree the soup until no large pieces of onion or tomato remain.
7. reduce the heat and stir in the half & half. stir until completely incorporated.
8. reheat soup if needed and add the salt and pepper.
9. if your soup is too acidic for you, try adding a few dashes of sugar, it will take the edge right off.

and, yes, i really did forget to take photos of the finished product. again. i blame it on trying to find wrapping-up paper for a certain 3 year old.