Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Since it was a soup du jour morning, I had to get something out rather easily, as I had lots of other prep to do today. So after the obligatory walk through the Walk-In (refrigerator), I saw that we had quite a few tomatoes that needed to be used up. Hmmmm. Tomato soup is, without question, one of my favorites, and it is pretty easy to make. So Tomato Soup it is. However, I needed to add some pop to it. After more rummaging around the Walk-In, I found some fresh Basil. After quickly stumbling around the restaurant kitchen, making sure the steam wells had water in them, and the chicken stock (very large pot) was reducing some more, I got to work. This really is an easy soup. This recipe makes a lot, so either halve or quarter it, if need be.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Ingredients

16 tomatoes (medium size, heirlooms are best, but any will work)
2 medium size onions – large dice
3 large carrots – roughly chopped
6-8 strips of bacon – chopped
2 Tbsp veggie oil (I use 80% Canola/20% Olive)
3 or 4 qts chicken stock
1.5 cups heavy cream
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp dried Basil
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
1 Tbsp dried Thyme
¼ cup Fresh Basil – rough chop
1 Tbsp – Chipotle chili powder
1 Tbsp – Ancho chili powder
2 Tbsp – Ground Coriander
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

And for the chef’s super secret recipe – ½ cup ketchup (I know, it just doesn’t sound right, but it works, so why argue the point).

OK. So it looks like a lot of ingredients. Yeah, well, the only necessary ingredients are the tomatoes, onions, fat/oil, and salt and pepper. With that base, you can add anything you want to make a tomato soup (chopped rosemary, for example). So if you don’t have something, don’t despair. Just play with your seasonings and add a few things until it tastes right.

Method

Roast the tomatoes on the grill until they become somewhat soft and have charred grill marks. Heat your soup pot on med-high. When the pot is hot enough, add the veggie oil and bacon and sauté a bit. Add the onion and carrots and continue to sauté for a few minutes. Now add your dried herbs (Basil, Oregano, and Thyme). You can stir these around the pot get them to release their aromas and flavors. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat a bit and reduce the liquid by almost half. Now at this point, you want to puree the entire mix with the fresh Basil. If you have an immersion blender, you can use that, or you can transfer to a blender by a bit at a time until you have pureed all of it. Once this has been done, add the lemon juice and cream. If using the immersion blender, continue to mix. If you went the blender route, get a whisk and whisk in the cream and lemon juice. Continue to keep the burner on medium through this process. Add the chipotle and ancho chili powders, the ground coriander, and the salt and pepper until the flavors are where you want them.

This is truly a soup where you essentially add the vegetables, cook them down a bit, add the rest of the ingredients and blend them all up. Feel free to play with this recipe and adjust the tastes to your liking. Personally, I’d add more chipotle at home, as I like the added heat. But at the restaurant, I have to be careful that I don’t burn the mouth of some little old lady from Sun City. I think a jalapeno or a Serrano pepper would also be nice added to this as well.

Restaurant Chef Tip: To get the white swirly stuff on top of the soup like in the picture, I reduce about 1 cup of sour cream with ¼ cup of dry sherry to a creamy consistency. Transfer to a squeeze tube (like a ketchup or mustard tube you see at hamburger joints), and slowly squeeze it out while moving your hand in a circle above the soup bowl. To add one more fancy, smancy look to it, you can drag a small paring knife blade in straight lines across the bowl. It makes it look like you know what you are doing.

Have fun and enjoy. Let me know how this works for you.

If you want an immersion blender, they are pretty cost effective. Costco has a Cuisinart immersion blender fro $30.00 that is stainless steel and can be used in a hot soup pot. You can find them at Target, Walmart, and most department stores. They are invaluable in the kitchen and I used them to puree all of my bisque’s and chowders.

Bon Appetit!