Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Thinking of my childhood, I have fond memories of my mom making tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  I loved dunking my bread oozing with cheese into the tomato soup and having those flavors blend in my mouth.  Often, I would only eat enough of the soup for my sandwich to be dipped several times and not want to consume the rest.  Why not?  Well, the reason is simple:  my mother* made canned tomato soup.  I know that there are some moments when canned is OK (perhaps beans, crushed tomatoes, corn, etc.).  However, I have come to the conclusion that soup is not one of those food items that should be canned.  Think back to the momets that you've enjoyed a really good soup (or stew).  Maybe you've relished it while you were sitting in a café with a couple of friends, or when it was the first course in a delicious meal at a great restaurant, or perhaps when you were feeling under the weather and a friend or relative dropped by with chicken soup made from a "family recipe."  On those ocassions, it wasn't a canned soup that warmed your heart, but something that took someone time to make.  Over the course of the last year, I've attempted making many soups from scratch and have decided it can be a real labor of love.  From the moment you start simmering your vegetables or preparing a broth, to the moment you ladle your concoction in the bowls, a smell fillls your home and your senses prepare to be warmed.

One of my favorite soups, prior to learning how easy it is to make myself, to order in a café is Cream of Tomato Basil, or Tomato Basil Bisque.  This soup takes me back to those childhood day of sitting on my livingroom floor (we didn't use the kitchen/dining table much), watching a 90's sitcom and dunking hopefully endlessly my cheesy sandwich into the bowl.  However, even without dipping material, this soup is delicious.  This is one I can eat without any added substance and it can fill and warm me up.

The ingredients and directions are so simple, if you've never tried this soup before and have great memories of tomato soup like me, it is a must!

You will need:
*serves four*

• 4 cups Tomato Juice (Any brand will do; I'm partial to Campbell's - which usually has 8 cups total, so often  I double the recipe to use up the bottle at once)
• 6 Tomatoes (You can mix and match.  I usually use 2 on the vine and 4 Roma)
• 15 Basil Leaves (Do not skimp on the basil; this is crucial)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream (Again, a usual small container of cream has 2 cups, so double the recipe if you have a bigger family)
• 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick) (Sometimes I do less if I've trying to watch the fat, but honestly, this is an indulgingly rich soup, so go for it if you can!)
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I always use garlic salt)

Steps:

1.  Peel/Seed the Tomatoes

• To Peel:  Make a cross pattern in the bottom of a tomato.  Using tongs, submerge the tomato into boiling water for 1 minute.  Take out and the skin will come off where you made the slits. (I did not do this the first few times I made the soup, not a huge difference if you want to skip)
• To Seed:  Cut the Tomato in half horizontally.  Then you can just use your paring knife to cut the seeds from the "ribs" of the tomato and  "scoop" them out.

2.  Place the tomatoes (you don't have to cut them any more if you don't want to) into a medium stock pot. 

3.  Pour in all 4 cups of your juice and turn the stove on to Medium. 



4.  Allow the stock to come to a slight boil and let the tomatoes simmer for at least 30 minutes (the longer you let it simmer the more pronouced the tomato flavor.  Make sure to stir occasionally so that pulp doesn't cake around the sides of your pot.

5.  Once the stock has simmered long enough, you can start blending with the basil leaves.  This can be done by using an immersion blender (If you're luckier than I am) or using a regular blender in batches. 

• *Special Note:  If you are unfamiliar with blending hot liquids, there are precautions that MUST be taken:  Use a clean dish towel to cover the "drop" hole at the top of your blender.  This allows steam to escape.  Otherwise, if you close the hole w/ the plastic insert, the entire lid will blow off from the steam trying to get out and your kitchen will be a tomato pulp mess, or worse, you will get burned! (This note may or may not be due to personal experience)*
  
  

You can blend all of your basil leaves at once, or if you are using a regular blender, add them in segments with your soup.  Using a slotted spoon to grab larger tomato pieces is helpful.

6.  Once the soup has reached your desired consistency through out, return the pot to the burner.

7.  Bring the soup back to a slight simmer.

8.  Add the butter and cream.

9.  Once the butter has completely melted and the cream has totally incorporated, add salt and pepper to your liking.







10.  Enjoy this creamy soup with texture so rich, you'll be asking yourself, "Is that velvet?" (Maybe someone will get the reference?)


I have also used left over Creamy Tomato Basil Soup for the cream base of Vodka Sauce when making pasta.

*My Mother:  I want to make sure that everyone knows my Puerto Rican-(who knows what else) mother, Mary, is an amazing baker and cook.  Hopefully, eventually, one or two great recipes I grew up enjoying will make it to the site, though I have my doubts since my family's very secretive, especially about cookies :)  She is an amazingly hard-working single mom who has given up more than anyone else I know to give my brother and me a future and hopeful outlook.  Though soups may not have been her "thing,"  her other dishes and desserts more than make up for our experience with canned tomato soups :)