Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup

With all the fresh heirloom tomatoes coming out of my garden, I decided to make my own tomato soup. This recipe made 14 1/2 pints, which I canned in my pressure canner. Here is what I did...



Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup ©

Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup

12 1/2 lbs mixed tomatoes (I used heirlooms in yellow, purple, green, red, and brown, along with Roma tomatoes)

6 large sweet onions

2 bulbs garlic

1/4 cup + 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup cream sherry

3 quarts chicken stock

3 tablespoons agave syrup (or other sweetener), OPTIONAL

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt/pepper

2 bay leaves

1/2-1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve or quarter tomatoes, place on sheet pans, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in oven until soft and lightly caramelized (around 30 minutes). Because this is a bigger batch, I used 5 sheet trays. This step can be done ahead of time. I spread this out over a couple of days, as my tomatoes ripened.

Cut onions in half and slice. I used a food processor to make quick work of this! In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add onions. Immediately add salt and cook over low/medium heat until unions are soft and caramelized. Add cream sherry and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook an additional 5 minutes. This step can also be done ahead of time.

Slice off tops of garlic bulbs to expose the cloves. Place in a small pan, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in a 425 degree oven until golden brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then squeeze out the cloves. (Once again, this step can be done ahead of time!)

In a large stockpot, combine roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, and roasted garlic. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add bay leaves, sweet and smoked paprika, and nutmeg. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Using a food processor, puree soup in batches. Strain through a coarse strainer to remove seeds and tough pieces of skin. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup of vinegar and cook for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning...I added the agave just to enhance the tomatoes sweetness, but it is to your taste!  Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into hot, sterilized pint jars (I like the look of wide-mouth stout pint jars), clean rims, and apply sterilized caps. Follow your manufacturers instructions for your pressure canner. Process at 11 lbs pressure, 60 minutes for pints, 70 minutes for quarts.

When you are ready to open up a jar, just bring to a boil in a saucepan, reduce heat, and add cream or milk to taste. Freshly sliced basil sprinkled on top would be delicious!

 

I hope I remembered everything, but you can adjust the flavors according to your taste.

 

Enjoy!  

 

Rosemary and Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is a middle eastern spread. It dates back to ancient Egypt, Syria, and Greece - 7000 years ago! The word "hummus" is the Arabic translation of "chickpea". "Garbanzo" is the Spanish translation of the word "chickpea", which is what we commonly call the bean now days. This is my recipe for hummus...

Rosemary and Red Pepper Hummus

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed butter)
juice of 1 large lemon (to taste)
1 small to large roasted red pepper, depending on preference
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1/4 cup water (more or less, depending on texture)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

In a food processor, add beans, tahini and 1/2 the lemon juice. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped. Add the red pepper, crushed garlic cloves, rosemary, and 1/2 the water. With processor running, add in the olive oil and puree until smooth. If mixture appears very thick and isn't processing smoothly, a little more water. Once pureed, taste for flavor. The garlic will seem strong, but will mellow after resting. Add more lemon juice to taste. I like to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors blend, though it isn't necessary. To serve, spread into serving dish, drizzle with 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil, and top with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Serve with veggies, pita bread/chips, or even fresh fruit (such as pears). Hummus is also great served as a spread on sandwiches and wraps.

You can use canned garbanzo beans for the recipe above, just make sure you rinse them well. I used dried beans by simply soaking them overnight in water, then draining (to make sure they are free from dirt), adding to a large saucepan, topping with fresh water, and simmering until tender.  I try to cook up an extra bit to use for other meals. Roasted Garbanzo beans are a great snack!

Rosemary and Red Pepper Hummus

The picture above is a recent double batch that I made for a bridal shower. I was short on red peppers, so I was only able to add 1/2 the amount I normally would have. It was still delicious, though! And the recipe is fairly flexible - up the garlic or try adding sundried tomatoes or other flavorings. Hummus is a healthy alterative to other dips and spreads. It is full of fiber and healthy oils. Because beans are fairly inexpensive, this is a low-cost alternative to pre-made dips.

I hope you enjoy!