Start the new year with a homemade bowl of warmth and comfort

My source of happiness and stability has always been in front of my stove. What better way to start the new year than with the ultimate comfort food for a cold January day, than a big pot of scratch-made tomato soup?

This warm, velvety, delight has been a staple in homes since it first appeared in a cookbook as early as 1832. It became popular here in the United States with a recipe that appeared in “New Cookery Book” in 1857. Then in 1897 the Campbell Soup Co. produced the first cans of condensed tomato soup.

The version that I make is based on ingredients that most of us find in our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. This makes that spur-of-the-moment craving that Liz and I experienced that day possible to satisfy. All we need is a bit of time, a touch of know-how, and that ingrained culinary sense of adventure.

The starting point is a large non-reactive pot. You don’t want to heat tomato products in an aluminum pan. Once you have this, the building process begins. In this case, I froze some small fresh tomatoes from my tomato plants at the end of the summer. (This is not a requirement. I just happened to have these on hand.) I thawed them and the skins simply fell off the meat of the tomatoes. I broke up the tomatoes by hand and removed the seeds and set them aside.

I set the heat to medium where it will remain throughout the cooking process. With the pot gently heating on the burner, I chop two large, sweet onions and three to four large cloves of garlic. In the warm pot I pour enough olive oil to coat the entire bottom of the pot. To this I add three tablespoons of unsalted butter. As soon as the butter begins to melt, I add the chopped onion. The onion must just begin to clarify with no browning whatsoever. As soon as the onions start to appear clear, add the chopped garlic and continue cooking for just a couple more minutes. At this point I add 1/8 cup of flour which I combine well with the onion and garlic mixture. Add the flour gradually until the oil is partially absorbed. Now I add one can of tomato paste. This gets stirred into the floured onion and garlic mixture. Keep the heat at medium and keep these ingredients moving. My tomatoes now have a bit of liquid formed around the flesh. I add it all to the pot continuing to stir, keeping the product in motion and fully incorporating the ingredients. Now comes the magic. I add two 28-ounce cans of my favorite brand of crushed tomatoes. I continue to stir each layer of product as it is added to fully incorporate and to continue keeping the mixture in motion.

At this point, let’s talk about seasoning. I have sodium restrictions. So, I don’t add any salt plus I use unsalted crushed tomatoes and unsalted broth/stock. I would suggest that in your recipe you would be very gradual about adding salt and using a reduced sodium broth or stock.

Notice that I haven’t added any broth yet. That is because I am going to begin to layer in the flavors here. I use a high-quality salt substitute (you use kosher or sea salt) which I add just the smallest quantity to start. To this I add two tablespoon equivalents of a monk fruit sweetening extract (you use sugar). I enjoy the flavor of three herbs in this version of tomato soup, thyme, dill, and parsley. Then I add just a half teaspoon of ground black pepper to start. These seasonings get stirred into the mixture. The final stage to this point is gradually adding the broth or stock. Choose your favorite. Either chicken, vegetable, or beef works. I had some chicken, and some beef open in the refrigerator. I used both for a total of one quart. When you consider that I had already added about two cups of water when cleaning the residual tomato products from the cans, the additional four cups of broth should be perfect for this quantity of soup. Stir the mixture thoroughly and bring the soup to just the boiling point, keeping the heat at medium. Be patient, this takes a few minutes. As soon as a slow boil begins, cover the pot and reduce the heat to allow the soup to just simmer gently for roughly 45 minutes. I stir the soup every 15 minutes.

When the 45-minute timer sounds, remove the lid and carefully taste for seasoning. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Once satisfied, gradually add four tablespoons of softened unsalted butter. Fold the butter into the soup to give a creamy appearance and a velvety mouth feel.

Serve the soup with good crusty bread for dunking, croutons, oyster crackers, or our favorite, cheesy bread. Cheesy bread is basically an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich made on hearty rustic bread slices. This is the ultimate in comfort food. This chef guarantees that trying this recipe is well worth the effort.