Tomato soup

mmm…good. I don’t know about you, but as a kid, and let’s be honest, even as an adult, there is little more that I enjoy than a nice bowl of tomato soup, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich. Many of us grew up cracking open a can of our favourite soup, adding water, and letting it heat.

But if you are reading this, there is a good chance that like me, you want to be able to make this classic on your own. Its a really simple soup to make, and doesn’t take too much effort, and only a little bit of time.

Now granted, it isn’t as fast as opening a tin, but it is certainly worth the effort, and is the type of soup that freezes extremely well, so you can make a larger batch of it, and freeze it for future meals. To make the soup you will need:

1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
2 stalks of celery
2 oz of salt pork or other fat/oil of your choice
2tbsp/2 oz of flour
4cups/1L of white stock (chicken, turkey, or veggie) preferably homemade
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 sachet (bay leaf, whole cloves, whole peppercorns, dried thyme wrapped in cheese cloth)

1. If you are using salt pork, begin by rendering out the fat on a medium-low temperature. The goal is to melt the fat so that you can sauté your veggies.
2. While fat is rendering, dice your carrots, onions, and celery.
3. Once fat is ready, whether you are using salt pork fat, butter, or anything else, add the veggies and sweat. This means you want to cook them gently without gaining much colour. Your onions should be translucent in appearance once you are completed.
4. Add the flour and stir to ensure that it is fully incorporated into the oil, Add a small amount of oil if it is looking dry. This will produce a roux that will give the soup a little extra body.
5. Whisk in your stock making sure to dissolve all of the roux. Add your diced tomato, your sachet, and allow to simmer for about 1 hour.
6. After your soup has simmered, remove sachet and discard.
7. Remove the veggies from the pot and carefully puree in a blender. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and puree in the pot. Make sure that the veggie are fully pureed and smooth. Add back to the pot and stir.
8. Taste and make any final adjustments to the seasoning of the soup.
9. Serve as you desire.

This is such a simple soup to make. I hope that you enjoy it.