I don’t eat meat. Mr. NexStitch does.
I eat fish. So does he.
Lovely, LOVELY 'maters.
That’s where we meet in the middle for most meals. I cook lots of fish and shellfish. So when I am making a meat-based dish for him, it puts more pressure on me to churn out something that I can have.
On the afternoon that I made chili, I also made myself some tasty cream of tomato soup, a double batch to be exact because I like leftovers. Leftovers are my friend.
Beautiful round orbs of tasty goodness.
I love eating this soup, but I don’t enjoy making it as much. It’s very laborious. You start out with some lovely, whole tomatoes that have been skinned (canned is fine but I prefer the organic tommy toms if they have to be canned). Sprinkle with dark brown sugar and roast in the oven for a half hour.
They come out looking a bit like my hands after an entire day of washing paintbrushes in the sink because the lone sink I have at work is not large enough for every child to put their hands in and man is that annoying and…
…Anyways, so then you let them cool and seed them. This is where the labor comes in and if you have family members who you can bribe to do the work, I vote, “BRIBE.” You’ll be so much happier when you’re down a bottle of wine and it’s all done. Just sayin’.
...with devilish seeds inside. I am very vexed by you.
Slice and seed and slice and seed and…
It’s always a good thing to keep the pile of “to be seeded” out of your direct line of view so you can’t forget just how many there are to tackle.
Meanwhile, butter, shallots, tomato paste, allspice, reserved tomato juice and flour are doing a lovely dance in a dutch oven while chicken stock is being added in. This is the best part: throw in the roasted tomatoes and let them cook in there for a short while.
But you make a lovely soup.
Can you taste it yet?
Strain the solids from the liquids, do some lovely food processing, combine everything back into the dutch oven, throw in some cream, brandy, cayenne and salt.
Wa-la: cream of tomato soup.
It’s a lot of work but it’s really well worth it.
Glad I made that double batch. too, because I’ve not been feeling well the last few days and nothing is nicer than homemade heat and serve food.
Throw in some crusty salad-sized croutons for a perfect contrast. YUMness.
