Sep 8, 2015
Bread making, part 2. #breakbreadtogether #50yearrecipes
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Bread making, part 2. #breakbreadtogether #50yearrecipes
Bread making, part 1. #breakbreadtogether #50yearrecipes
Homemade Tomato Basil Soup
Okay y’all, this is a 50 year recipe. You know, the kind I’ll still be serving to my grandchildren decades from now. We’ve made this for a few years now, so by now I’ve lost the original source and we’ve changed it so much it’s probably a completely different recipe. Therefore instead of linking to someone, I’m just going to spell it out for you right here.
If you haven’t been to a La Madeline before, it’s a phenomenal little French bistro chain that serves amazing bread and soups. Think Panera with major swag. It’s delicious and when I lived in Houston many moons ago, this soup was one of my favorite things to eat. When I finally found a good knockoff recipe that was almost right, I decided to keep making it over and over again until I got it exactly how I wanted it. Over the years I’ve played with the amount of basil, whether or not using fresh or dried matters (it does!), the amount of cream and butter to use, and what quantity/quality of tomatoes to use. Cream-based soups are one of those things you can’t usually take a ton of liberty with, but this one is pretty forgiving. So if you make this and think it’s just not quite perfectly suited to your taste, I’d encourage you to make it again and fiddle with it until you get it just how you like it.
Keep in mind, this is not a healthy soup. I’m not billing it that way, and neither should you. Let’s call a duck a duck and not try to make it a grass-fed pasture-raised pheasant, shall we? Some soups are healthy, some are not. This is a comforting, rich, warm, snuggle-up-and-have-a-cup with family and friends on your porch type of thing. So just do that and enjoy it in all of its cream-based glory. If you insist that you must substitute some healthier things, I’ll give you a list at the bottom for options on how to do that, but do me a favor and never tell me if you do. Life is too short for me to know that you nutritionalized this recipe. As a moderately crunchy mama myself, I often substitute healthier versions of ingredients in almost everything I make. This means that I respect your decision to do the same thing here, just promise me you’ll keep your choice to healthify this one to yourself. We are friends, and I want to keep it that way. So indulge with me here, or at least let me remain believing you are. Some things are just better off left alone, folks. This is one of those things.
Tomato Basil Soup
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes* 1 28 ounce can of tomato purée 8-12 ounces of chicken stock** 12-14 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 TBSP of dried basil) 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 cup regular cream*** 1 stick butter
*This is the one exception to my non-healthy thing about this recipe. I have tried several different types of canned tomatoes and I am serious when I say that organic usually tastes better. I’ve made it with and without organic tomatoes and it’s fine either way, but the organic just tastes fresher. It really does. So buy organic canned tomatoes and purée. Not for health reasons, but purely for taste.
**The ambiguous range of 8-12 ounces is because you need to eyeball it on this one. It’s really about preference and how “tomato-y” you want the soup. The chicken stock acts as a neutralizer here, so if you want more of a mellow tomato taste, add the full box. If you’d rather taste the tomatoes in all their glory, skimp on the stock a little.
***I use regular cream instead of heavy cream because using heavy cream makes it too sweet for my taste. You can certainly use heavy cream and that’s what the original recipe called for, but I like my soup a little tangy and the heavy cream killed it for me. It’s soup, not dessert. However if you prefer dessert soup, have at the heavy cream and enjoy!
Instructions: Combine tomatoes, chicken stock, and basil in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer no less than 30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée if you desire a creamier texture for your soup. (I skip this step because I like a few tomato chunks for texture, but feel free to purée away to your heart’s content right now.) When desired consistency is achieved, return to pot over low heat. Stir in cream and butter while simmering and stirring. Be very careful not to get the heat too high as it can scald the soup. Once you add the dairy to the soup, keep a close watch on the stove and don’t let it boil. I usually turn it way down and stir until the butter is melted all of the way. Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese. Serve with homemade bread, whole grain pita chips, a salad, or alongside your favorite sandwich. Enjoy!
Healthy substitution options, if you must, depending on your dietary restrictions: -Purchase organic canned tomatoes or use some fresh from the garden and purée them yourself. Yum! -Purchase organic/grass-fed or low sodium chicken stock. -Sub Greek yogurt for the cream. -Cut the amount of butter in half. Sigh.
Alright. That’s it. I hope you make this and share it with your friends and family and that you all hug a lot and feel warm and fuzzy after downing this soup. This soup = love and goodness. And deliciousness. And scrumptiousness. And calories. But we all agreed that doesn’t matter here, right?