Several years ago I had taken some time away from finance and tried to make a living out of my volunteer work by selling and delivering custom-built student mentoring programs for high and middle school students. One of my co-workers, a young black man named Darmeny Jones and I had a conversation I would never forget. I honestly don’t remember how exactly it started but it all centered around food for white people and food for black people. Without going into all of that, one of the statements he made was that he had NEVER had a tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich! He said that it was white kids food and that growing up in Tacoma, WA, he never experienced tomato soup, nor did most or any of his black friends. I honestly didn’t believe him at first (although I never had Faygo either as a kid). I mean, how can ANY kid in America NOT have tomato soup! Isn’t it one of our few authentically American “cuisines?” We had some laughs and the fact that I am still talking about it…means it made an impression.
Tomato Soup. Apparently not as universal a dish as I once thought. Not sure what to do with all those tomatoes that seem to show up all at once in the summer? Can’t find enough people to give the extras from your garden to? This Late Harvest Tomato Soup is splendid. It is very simple, takes about 30 minutes to make, and is super delicious. A great way to turn those tomatoes into something other than a salad topping!
This particular round of tomato soup was made with lovely veg from Changing Seasons Farm in Carnation and homemade chicken stock. Very resourceful, very inexpensive, and yet a rich, smooth taste.
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 medium onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 3/4 quarts chicken stock, preferable homemade
- 2 x 14 oz cans of tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
- 6 large ripe tomatoes
- small bunch of basil
- sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Peel and roughly slice carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add all sliced veg and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until veg is soft and lightly golden.
- Add boiling stock to the pan, your canned and fresh tomatoes and bring back to a boil and then let simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove pan from heat and season with salt and pepper and add the basil.
- Working in batches, pour into blender or use an immersion blender and whiz until smooth.
- Season again with salt and pepper and serve in bowls with a garnish of celery heart leaves and a drizzle of high quality olive oil.
