Ode to Tomato Soup

Or perhaps "A realization of my obsession with tomatoes in all forms." The summer tomato harvest isn't even in sight and I am already unconsciously peppering my cooking with a disproportionate amount of tomato goodness. Exhibit A: Cook's Illustrated Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Yes, it's so good you capitalize every word. 

Note on Cooks Illustrated: It's a subscriber website, but they have a free 14-day trial, so if you aren't already a convert, scurry over there for this download and the one below.

Four days after that pizza, still eating it. Crust-still awesome. Sauce to cheese ratio-outstanding. A true leftovers champ. Inspired by this success and also because I meal planned around making it, I dove into Cook's Illustrated recipe #2 (Exhibit B) of the week, the creamy creamless tomato soup.

The headline: 45 minutes start to finish with time to make accompanying grilled cheese. Also, I continue my love affair with my stick blender. Wow that thing can blend a mean soup.

So back to the soup. Over the winter I put my crockpot to hard use making beef stew, chili, chicken noodle soup, etc. Now with the weather being a cluster as of late the crisp, rainy days have left me wanting a warm bowl of something.

Initial Soup Base

This quick tomato soup was the answer. There's nothing in this recipe you don't already have in your kitchen or could easily source at any grocery store. The only reason I'm not listing said recipe is I think CI is really strict about reproducing recipes. The kick in this recipe comes red chili pepper flakes, bread, brandy, the right onion/garlic ratio.

The full soup before boiling and blending.

I started to run it through a very fine mesh strainer to make it smoother, but it was taking forever and it was already pretty fine, so I just went with it as is and I'm not looking back. I'm already thinking about the next bowl. And the cream? Didn't miss it at all. It's a full bodied soup that when paired with a dairy ladden grilled cheese or salad is right on point.

Why have I generally skipped over tomato soups all of my life? I love tomatoes in every form. Well, I'll be making amends with this soup right through into caprese season. I mean summer.