All the wonderful local vegetables and fish available on Nantucket during the summer, not to mention the quaint streets and sumptuously soft, dewy air always make me feel like I am somewhere far away. Having never been to France, but forever dreaming of what it must be like, I have decided that Nantucket is my own little version of Provence. Or at least it’s everything I hope the south of France could be.
Here I am with mom and the tomato soup before it exploded out of the blender. Why didn’t I use the food processor? I guess I felt too lazy to pull it out from the low cabinet where it lives. The blender was sitting on the counter, just waiting to be used. I suppose I poured too much soup into the blender, which caused the explosion. For future reference, don’t fill it past the halfway mark. In any case, the soup turned out to be a crowd pleaser and also freezes quite well. There is nothing like a burst of fresh, summer tomato taste once the season has past. Breaking out this magical soup as an appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas is a real treat. Serve it with crusty, warm bread. Believe me, your guests will appreciate it.
Cream of Tomato Soup
A few tablespoons of olive oil
5 large tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Handful chopped, fresh basil
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
Heat oil in large pot (like a Le Creuset) over medium-low and sauté onions and carrots for 10 minutes until soft. Add garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and stir well. Bring soup to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Add cream to soup and puree with either a blender, food mill, or food processor. I used a Waring bartender’s blender, which did the job in small doses. I have a feeling my fancy Vitamix blender would have worked like a charm for this recipe, but I didn’t have access to it while I was staying at my parent’s home on Nantucket. I bet this soup would still be terrific even if you just left it in its natural, chunky state. Delish.
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