Heirloom Tomatoes, Wonderful Ingredients for a Hearty Soup
A Recipe by Andrea Milstein
I came up with this very intensely flavored tomato soup after logging home a bushel of tomatoes from the farmers’ market one late day in summer. After a few days of incorporating tomatoes into pretty much any dish I could think of, I was still looking at roughly 12 lbs of very ripe tomatoes which I had no intention of sacrificing to the compost heap. I was after a no-fuss but full-bodied tomato soup that didn’t require me to get rid of the skin first, a time consuming and laborious process. Since tomatoes and onions contain a lot of water, slow roasting them intensifies their flavor and the addition of whole peppercorns adds a nice spiciness. I usually fill three cookie sheets and cook them simultaneously in the convection oven (the quantities in the recipe are for one cookie sheet). After the vegetables have cooled down a little, I throw the contents of each cookie sheet into the blender for a very smooth soup. Make sure you work in batches. Add a dollop of crème fraiche and a few shredded basil leaves for added color and flavor.
Slow Roasted Tomato Soup
3 – 4 lbs tomatoes, cut into large junks
1 small onion, cut into 6 pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed, skin removed
2-3 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 tsp salt
3TS olive oil
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Arrange all ingredients on a cookie sheet, add olive oil and mix well (hands work best).
Transfer to preheated oven and slow roast for approx. 1 ¼ hours or until tomatoes and onions look slightly dried out and have partially caramelized.
Cool and transfer to blender in batches and blend until smooth.
Enjoy at room temperature or chilled for a very tasty summer treat. This soup freezes extremely well.
Andrea Milstein is a wife, mother, homemaker and cooking instructor in Oakton, Virginia. She is an active member of the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Northern Virginia Whole Foods Meetup group. Visit her Cooking with an Accent website. Andrea has agreed to be a regular contributor to Hartke Is Online! Please let us know in the comments if you try one of her delicious recipes!
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6 Comments
I love heirloom tomatoes. Our CSA has increased their plantings this year and we’ve already had five or six huge gems in at least three different colors.
If you’re not familiar with heirloom tomatoes you’re in for a treat. Most varieties have fewer seeds and liquid (what my kids call ‘mater guts) and just the richest tomato flavor you could ever hope for.
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Thanks for sharing the recipe! I can’t wait to get a big basket of tomatoes and try it! Can you serve it warm, too, like with grilled cheese?
I roast my tomatoes and onions too. I also add any peppers from the garden.
We love it straight out of the oven with parmesan grated on top and a big chunk of bread. Then I puree and make soup from it also.
Can’t wait for my tomatoes to ripen!!
I will try some herbs with it– as well as creaming it. The parmasean does sound good too
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I am trying this now- one bunch in a roasting pan, the other on the cookie sheet as described…but the tomato juices are running right off the sheet and onto the bottom of the oven, where they are smoking and will be very difficult to clean. Help! Suggestions?
Lisa, does your cookie sheet have sides on it? If not, in the future try using a jelly roll pan or 9×13 pan so the juices can’t run away.
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