Tomato Soup

Brrr!  I'm not sure how the rest of the country is fairing today, but in Minneapolis the temperature is hovering around a blistering -5 F on this sunny MLK day. 

This morning was wonderful while still bundled under the covers.  But later on Ross and I headed out to grab materials to update my millinery studio.  That short time out and about chilled us to the bone. 

Soup to the rescue!

Most of the ingredients for this simple tomato soup had been squirreled away early in the fall.  Back in August I had frantically canned over 40# of Roma tomatoes, just for a situation like today.  Onions and garlic still filled our storage boxes from the last CSA box.  Our freezer is bursting with stock from various veggie scrap and roasted birds.  Just add wine and seasonings...

the recipe is my own

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 qt crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried tomato skin powder*
salt and pepper to taste

* back when I crushed and canned all of those Roma tomatoes, I couldn't bring myself to discard the skins after peeling them.  In a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, dry out the skins at 250 for about 4 hours.  They should crumble easy.  Pulverize in a spice grinder.  This bright red powder packs a boost of tomato flavor.

The Process:
In a heavy-bottomed 3-qt stock pot, saute the garlic, onion and celery over medium high heat until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, stock, wine and seasonings.  Bring the mixture to a boil, return to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, or working in small batches using a food processor, puree the soup until the desired consistency is achieved.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Served with grilled cheese on a frigid day? Pure heaven!