BS: Tomato soup

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 05:30 PM

Joe, I misspoke - it wasn't Martha Stewart, it was Mrs. Wheelbarrow, a gardening and canning site I found years ago via twitter.

Roasted tomato and garlic soup.

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
This recipe can be pressure canned or frozen. Cream is added when the soup is reheated.
Makes about 6 pints

15-20 tomatoes
2 carrots, chop roughly
1 large onion, quartered
2 whole heads garlic, peeled, not crushed
olive oil
3 cups fresh, homemade, chicken broth, skimmed of fat
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil — (or 1 Tbsp. dried)

Preheat oven to 425°
Core tomatoes and cut in half. Place, cut side up, on parchment covered cookie sheet. Add carrots, onion and garlic. Brush with olive oil.
Roast at 425°F for about an hour, or until veggies are roasted and a little blackened.
Blend with a stick blender (or in small batches in a blender) until smooth. Throw the basil in and blend some more.
Place in a large saucepan with the chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

To can: Process in a pressure canner, pints for 60 min. and quarts for 70 min. at 11# of pressure (dial gauge.)

To serve: Warm soup in a saucepan. Add cream to taste. Serve garnished with chives or frizzled shallots.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 09:26 PM

Eek. Dried basil....AAARRGH!

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 10:02 PM

"Tomatoes and chickpeas are the only vegetables I buy in tins."

You could add red kidney beans to our list of things in cans in the cupboard.

Basil. Something to be planted later. My own planing from seed will be Greek basil.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Musket
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 02:41 AM

We buy cannelloni, borlotti, flageolet, kidney and haricot beans in tins, as well as chick pea.

If you buy Sainsbury value tins, some can be a little hard and don't soften much with cooking. Their value chopped tomatoes in tetra packs are convenient for a cooking base when we don't have our own but need some tomato paste adding as they aren't exactly flavoursome...

Steve. There are times when I ignore the basil plant growing in the window cill and get the dried basil (chopped from our own plants) to use. Different taste and better for adding whilst cooking. Fresh basil loses it if added too early.





I heard a good one the other night. What's the difference between a chick pea and a lentil? I haven't paid good money to have a lentil on me......

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 07:37 AM

Don't add it too early then! Basil always goes in absolute last minute this end, never chopped, always torn in. Sometimes just baby leaves sprinkled on top of the finished dish, preferably with a swirl of the best olive oil in the cupboard. Dried basil was powerfully ruinous in every dish I ever added it to.

They use a firming agent sometimes in canned beans, and they won't soften much in the cooking. Morrisons and Sainsburys beans are often too hard. I always use Napolina brand, very dependable but sometimes on the soft side but you can just add them towards the end. I also like their canned chopped tomatoes, much better than some own-brands, though Waitrose are not too bad. I find that the best tomatoey flavour boost to the canned tomatoes, if you need it, is provided by a good dollop of Marks and Sparks vine-ripened paste. Or you can use the canned toms to make your own freezable tomato sauce. Fry some thinly-sliced chopped garlic in olive oil. When softened, add your canned toms and some tomato paste and simmer away with the lid off for half an hour. Season with black pepper and not too much salt. Tear in some basil at the end.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 07:40 AM

Not thinly sliced and chopped   Either or.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 10:12 AM

Nice to hear from fellow soup lovers I could live on soup alone. Love it all

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 02:32 PM

I cannot convince Himself that kidney beans of any persuasion are actual food; he considers them the work of the devil. Lima beans, likewise. I played a dirty trick on him once -- I used young limas instead of navy beans in a batch of minestrone. I doubt that he noticed; he ate it for lunch every day for a week with every evidence of pleasure.

Tins labelled "kidney beans" in our pantry would cause quite a fuss. "Oh, how could you do this to me! You don't love me any more!"

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 09 Mar 15 - 06:01 PM

Kinda like jello for me.. The horror

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 15 - 02:21 PM

The tomatoes I use are homegrown and canned or frozen. I usually blanch and peel then dice and process them in pint jars. When I don't have enough to make it worth the trouble to set up the boiling water I freeze them. I made two pans of lasagna last night, one to eat, one for the freezer, using tomatoes, onions, green bell peppers, garlic, herbs, and eggplant (one layer in lieu of pasta) from my garden. The only things I didn't produce were the cheese, Italian sausage, or the pasta. And if I'd been thinking about it, I could have made the pasta and a batch of yogurt cheese instead of ricotta.

It tastes so much better when you grew it yourself. My soups also have the same home grown ingredients. One of these years when I have another huge summer tomato crop (the last really excellent one was in 2012) I'll try that roasted tomato soup. My first priority is canning for the year so I'd only use that many for soup like that if I was already set with enough processed pint jars.

I grow herbs and dry some and freeze others. I read somewhere recently that slightly blanching then freezing the basil is the way to keep the leaves green in the freezer, but they do just fine without blanching if I pull the bag out very quickly, break of a batch, then crumble the frozen leaves into the soup or sauce or onto the pizza, whatever.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: jacqui.c
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 12:58 PM

I just had a great cup of soup. Boiled up chicken bones, let them get cold to strain off the fat and then added celery and spring onions with some dried minced garlic and let the whole thing simmer for a few hours. Blitzed it and then threw in left over peas from supper and chopped up chicken. Let it simmer away again for 2-3 hours and then ate! Good stuff and very welcome as an almost fat free meal for me, as I have had to cut out most of the fat from my diet for health reasons. Didn't need to use the soupmaker this time but will be trying a recipe my daughter found for Apple & Parsnip soup next.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 02:31 PM

Apple and parsnip what is that jacqie.. I bet it's great but never had it

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: jacqui.c
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 03:01 PM

Hi Dan - I was on Facetime with my daughter while she was making this one - a good one for the soupmaker, it seems. She tried it and said it tasted really good. I think she's trying another one with a bit of spice. I'll get her to send the recipe, but I think it was basically parsnips, apple and stock. I would probably add some curry powder to that for a bit more of a kick.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: jacqui.c
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 04:02 PM

Dan - fast reply from my kid.

'I used 4 parsnips chopped up, 1 leek(or onion), 2 apples and 2 veg stock cubes with about 2 pints of water.   Tastes lovely!! Also did a curry one- take out the apple and add as much curry powder as you like!!'

she was using the Soupmaker, which means that everything goes in at the same time and it cooks and then liquidises all in one. Neither of us are into frying the veg beforehand so this system works well for us. I guess that it could be made in a pan and then blitzed though. I am definitely going to give it a go.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 07:04 PM

I will give it a try thanks so much

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 07:26 PM

But when you're making a soup, you have to chop your veg whether or not you're going you use a soupmaker. The only work a soupmaker saves is the whizzing at the end. I have a cheap Kenwood hand blender that I can use in any container, and it blends my soup perfectly in seconds and it is far less messy to wash up than a soupmaker.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 07:41 PM

Used to get Heinz tomato in packs of 4 or 6, as our son loved it - didn't like anything "with bits in it" when he was younger.
Now he's a big boy and his ageing parents have found (also in tins!) Sainsbury's Tomato and Basil which is gorgeous!
I do make my own soup sometimes, but usually only if we're having a gammon joint, when I will use the stock to make lentil soup - just throw in an indeterminate amount, let the lentils soak overnight, add any other left-over veg, boil up and there you have it!

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 08:23 PM

Ribollita needs rosemary in it's cooking and a generous grating of Parmesan cheese in it's serving.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: jacqui.c
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 09:54 PM

Sounds good Tattie -going to have to try that sometime.

The soup maker cooks and liquidises so no messy pans to clean. Just the container, which goes in the dishwasher and the blades, which get rinsed under the hot tap. Horses for courses - I find it a useful piece of equipment as there is no risk of burning the soup if, for some reason you can't keep a close eye on it and it can be left to cook without having to be stirred or watched. Not sure, Steve, why you find the need to criticise to the extent you do.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 11 Mar 15 - 11:09 PM

I am lazy so have one of those fancy expense food processors for my soup

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 04:15 AM

Vaguely watching TV last night and there was a hilarious (in a very English way) show about a cookery writer. It included several very nice-sounding recipes; it mocked soup-based slimming diets, and there was a constant trope of the writer's agent talking to Salman Rushdie on the phone - demanding of his assistant "What am I, his nursemaid?"

The recipes were fun, and he had lines like "A couple of words on using stock cubes: Just Don't".

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 04:45 AM

If considering one, I think kitchen worktop space is the issue here rather than the expense of a dedicated soup maker. Of larger devices, there is the food mixer and the food processor both of which Pip finds useful (our Kenwood Prospero mixer does come with blender etc. but sitting on top of the mixer, there are problems with work height and the separate processor is more convenient). Then there's the breadmaker that will come in to action again and the microwave.

Add a few other bits like kettle and toaster and we are "full up". The deep fat fryer already has to live in the porch (only comes out maybe once a week/fortnight but we all like deep fried chips once in a while - I never find oven chips the same) where it fits neatly in a cupboard I fitted to provide extra shelving space for the kitchen.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 05:55 AM

Same space issue, Jon!

As for my criticising, a couple of years ago I spent hours looking at reviews of soup makers with a view to buying one. None of the ones that came in at anything like an affordable price (for me anyway) cut the mustard in terms of soup quality, texture and convenience, so I gave up on the idea. If your priority is flavour and texture they are never going to live up to what you can produce yourself. There's more to good soup than just chucking everything in at once and mushing it all up. Also, I like to make soup in advance and eat it next day, which improves its flavour no end. So, unless I left it the soup machine I'd have to dirty a pan anyway! I have enough white elephants in the house without adding a soup maker to their ranks! Only my opinion!

Oh, and I enjoy cooking...

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 06:44 AM

Mrs Steve won't let us have a deep fat fryer in spite of all my campaigning, but I do make very nice oven chips without. You need waxy spuds such as Nicola or Anya or Charlotte, preferably organic for best texture. "Salad potatoes." Don't peel but cut them into wedges or chips, not too thin. Parboil in salted water for about eight minutes. Meanwhile, get your oven as hot as it will go and pre-heat an oven tray that's big enough to spread your chips out in one layer. Drain the chips, let them dry for a minute then rough them up in the pan, as with roast spuds. Pour a thin layer of groundnut oil on to your hot tray (don't overdo it) and carefully tip in the chips. Toss them around to coat with oil then put them in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, giving them another tossing after about five minutes. Voila! Healthy too, as they soak up less oil than deep-fried chips.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 07:04 AM

Interesting, Steve, I've only ever used the shop bought things and hadn't realised one could do ones own oven chips like that. That's worth a try for us some time.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 07:49 AM

went to hear a friend perform at a small bistro and they had roasted garlic tomato soup on the menu... very nice.

now to check out google to find a recipe that will duplicate it. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 08:50 AM

When it comes to stock cubes, I find that if I make the stock strong enough for my soup it's way too salty. If I haven't got quite enough stock, or if it's a bit weak because the chicken was a bit small, adding just one cube to something like a litre and a half of the weak stock can work wonders. Veg stock can cost next to nothing if you use the outer, slightly tough layers of the onions, carrot peelings and trimmings and the tough outside bits (and leaves, don't chuck 'em) of a head of celery. Just boil that lot up for an hour with a dash of pepper, parsley or thyme and a couple of bay leaves and Bob's yer uncle.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 12:41 PM

the soup we had was well flavored, but no spicy hot... but this recipe seems to hit it pretty close.

http://www.aducksoven.com/2015/01/crockpot-roasted-garlic-tomato-soup.html

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: olddude
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 01:32 PM

I would not recommend a food processor. Yeah I own an expensive one but like you said not worth it and takes too much space. It was one of those impulse buying things I thought I would use more than I do

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 01:47 PM

a food processor is great if you are doing large quantities and more than a couple times a year... nothing wrong with elbow grease if you aren't plagued with arthritis. The cleanup just has to be worth the savings in time/effort. though nothing wrong with a small unit for doing small batches since they are easy to clean.   

a good knife, cutting board & lots of properly sized containers to put the prepped food is all I use... dinosaur that I am.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 02:06 PM

"Yeah I own an expensive one but like you said not worth it and takes too much space"

Seems to be a bit of missunderstanding here. We (mostly Pip) find it useful and believe it justifies its bit of space on the kitchen worktops. The point I was trying to make is that space is tight and we can't simplay accomodate every gadget that might just take our fancy.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 03:39 PM

Mrs Steve uses our food processor and our food mixer a lot. But I'm the main everyday chef and I don't use stuff like that if I can help it because of the cleaning up afterwards and, in the case of the processor, the need to leave everything out for hours to dry properly. My gizmo is a hand-held stick blender that I use for blitzing soup and making pâté with. I can do everything I want with that, or with a whisk or just a fork. The whizzer part of my stick blender is the only bit that gets dirty and it screws off for easy cleaning.

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Mar 15 - 03:40 PM

Jeri, how do you sautée onions in stock, as given in that Hungarian mushroom soup? I thought sautéeing was always done in oil?

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: GUEST,MikeL2
Date: 13 Mar 15 - 06:48 AM

Hi

I agree with Steve and others who think that a Soup Maker device will not make soup as good as "the Real Thing"

However I found a reasonably priced/sized one - £40 at Coopers of Stortford.

By practicing I have come to be able to create soup almost as good as the hand made way. Like Steve I believe that soup is better when left for a day before eating...or is it drinking?


So, having chosen my ingredients, exactly as I would if I were to do it the "manual" way. Then I pour the soup into a saucepan and put a lid on. When I come to heat it up I do it on the cooker and while doing so I taste the soup and add butter etc to taste.

We have a large family with a number of grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren. They come to visit us regularly I am pleased to say.

The soup maker is great for making quick small batches when they ring us to say that they are on their way. For the two of us the maker we have does just enough for two large dinner sized portions.

We have a "posh" food processor as my wife is a qualified chef and has worked in the catering industry for many years. The Processor has now been shelved and is only used by my wife when she cooks for formal dinner parties.

My soup Maker has other qualities ( I haven't used them yet) eg Smoothies, Blending, Boiling, as well as the ability to make chunky or smooth soup to two thicknesses.

If I want to make large batches I do it manually...just preparing another favourite of ours...Pea and Ham...yummmmmmmmy !!

Happy soup Making

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Tomato soup
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Mar 15 - 09:28 AM

I have never seen a soup-maker; they must be a Brit thing.

The hand-held stick blender is my go-to gadget for almost anything to be puréed. Like Steve Shaw, I'm a lazy beast; cleaning the food processor or the blender is a cumbersome task that I will do almost anything to avoid.

I have to admit, however, that both gadgets earn their stable space with certain dishes that are delicious but (in my opinion) hell to make the manual way. Top of the list is pesto; I have made it by hand, with a mortar and pestle, and all I can say is Never Again. Decent pesto can be made in a blender, I'm told, but when I tried it, we ended up with green goo on the kitchen ceiling. Enter the Kitchen Aid food processor: a hulking machine of great capabilities that -- thank God -- also makes terrific pesto. When the manual meat-grinder kept falling apart, it turned out to be good for forcemeat, too, if the ingredients are half-frozen and you go easy on the pulse button. I also confess to using it to blend pastry and the crumble topping for baked fruit dishes. (Baking is not my forte.)

As for the blender, the thing it does that keeps it in the house is the frozen daiquiri. The frozen strawberry daiquiri, to be precise, which is the thing I really, really want after completing three batches of strawberry jam in one hot Saturday in mid-July. Jam recipes always say to use so many quarts of fruit, but however precise I think I am at the market, I always end up with about three extra pints of strawberries; not enough for a batch of jam, but too many for two people to just sit down and eat. (Your mileage may vary.) The answer to this (First World) problem is the strawberry daiquiri: ya get drunk, and your anti-oxidants and vitamin C all in the same delicious package.