So yeah — tomato soup. Straightforward as a stick. Not fancy, not posh, not trying to impress anyone. About as sophisticated as yet another Fast & Furious sequel. But hey, the kid dips a chunk of bread, yells ‘Yay, tomato soup!’ and actually finishes the whole thing. That almost never happens. On some days, that’s more than enough to call it a win.
By the way, this recipe is based on the one from The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. If I had to pick one cookbook to survive the apocalypse with, that’s the one. It’s nerdy in the best way - like you practically need an MIT degree just to unpack why Italians pour vodka into penne alla vodka and whether it’s actual culinary genius or just some random stunt sunomeone pulled once and everybody just blindly copied.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely diced
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp plain flour
4 400g cans of whole tomatoes with their juice
½ cup of heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Steps:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the pepper flakes, if using, and oregano. Keep cooking about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the flour, cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes, with all what's inside, and stir, scraping the flour up off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and cook, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with the spoon, until the whole thing comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat, and puree using an immersion blender. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, with a generous drizzle of olive oil, and if you like, some finely chopped fresh vegetables or a sprinkle of herbs or both. The kid also loves it with a piece bread that he dips into the whole thing. Enjoy.