Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Oh the joy of discovering excellent recipes!  My heart is full with happiness and my stomach cannot wait to taste this nurturing soup again.  I wish I could claim full credit, but I cannot.  This is the fine work of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen.  The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup.

It serves 6 to 8, easy.  I enjoyed it twice in one day last weekend, it's so smooth and satisfying. It's called creamless AND creamy because the recipe does not call for heavy cream or half-n-half.  The creamy texture comes from using 3 slices of sandwich bread.  I kid you not, it's the secret ingredient to its success.  My family didn't have a clue; they didn't even ask.  They just slurped it down as they groaned over their bowls.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step.

The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup, published September 1, 2008, from Cook's Illustrated.com.

MY COOKING NOTES:

• I wanted to use my very favorite canned tomatoes, San Marzano whole plum tomatoes.  They're sweet with the right level of acidity for soups and sauces.  They cost more than the average can of whole tomatoes, but they're worth it when I need a tomato sauce to stand alone.  I use the other brand tomatoes for chilis and salsas.  Taste them for yourself and you'll know where I'm coming from.
• I saved the pinch of red pepper flakes as the last seasoning before serving the grown ups.  I was afraid the heat would be noticeable to the kiddos.  I wanted them to love this soup and didn't need reasons for them not to like it.
• I skipped the brandy.  No one in my family has ever tasted it.  I don't keep it on hand.  So, I figured no one would know it was missing. Right?
• I didn't have onion chives, but I did have garlic chives from the herb garden.  They were perfect.
• I used my immersion blender to puree the tomato-bread mixture.  Then I passed it through a mesh strainer before adding the broth.  This removed the seeds and stray bits of tomato skins, along with taking the soup to the next smoothest texture.  It makes all the big difference in making the soup feel creamy in the mouth.  It's worth it when I take the extra 3 minutes to strain the soup.
• Next time, I'm doubling the recipe so I can freeze servings for make-ahead-lunches.  Since there's no dairy involved, this recipe is sure to hold up for future meals.

Spinach, Carrot and Chickpea Soup

All vegetables and totally filling, this easy soup recipe will keep you running until dinner time.

My husband likes saving his lunch money and takes his lunch to work. For years now, he's been taking canned soups. He says they're easy to carry and soups are his favorite light lunch. I'm fine with that, up to a point.

Now after reading and practicing my soup building skills, I'm ready to step it up. My husband deserves the best, most healthy lunch when he's away from home. So I've taken up the love task of making a large batch of soup on Sundays and prepping him for the week ahead.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/4 cup healthy oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 to 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup parboiled rice (I use Uncle Ben's)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• salt and pepper
• 2 (32 oz.) cartons of vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 (10 oz.) package of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 (15 oz.) can chick peas/Garbanzo beans

Prep all the ingredients first before cooking. It will really take the stress out and you'll enjoy building the soup more.

Start by heating the oil in a large soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and bell pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt to help the vegetables release their water. Stir occasionally so vegetables don't burn. Cook until you can press a fork into the carrots, but they're not soft, maybe 8 to 10 minutes.

Next comes the rice, oregano and parsley in the pot. Stir until rice is lightly toasted. Add in broth, spinach and chick peas, stir well. Bring the broth up to a boil, cover and lower heat to a slow simmer (low). Cook until rice is tender, 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste test it for additional salt and pepper, go 1/4 teaspoons at a time.

Divide soup into 1 cup servings. (Ziploc Twist'n Loc 1 cup storage containers are great for this task and TRULY leak proof.)

Store soups in the freezer for quick chilling, then move 2 or 3 containers to the refrigerator. When you know you want soup for lunch the next day, transfer a soup container from the freezer to the frig.

Make sure to pack a few of your favorite crackers, a napkin and spooon! Oh! and stick a note on your purse or on the door you use to go out, saying "DON'T FORGET YOUR SOUP!"

Remember that scene in the movie, Bruce Almighty, when Jim Carrey's in the diner and he calls out to the waitress to get him a spoooon?
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