Originally posted at Gail's
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997
From: Marilyn in FL
Conditional Note: The soul of this soup is derived from roasting flavorful tomatoes. It is not worth paying $4 a pound (the going rate for a single, large tomato) if they are fresh, but tasteless. In that case, wait until summer when your neighbor is begging you to take tomatoes off his hands.
Rec: Fennel and Tomato Soup
4 large fresh meaty tomatoes (Beefsteaks, Ruskin)
1 large onion
1 fresh fennel bulb, cored, white part only.
2 organic carrots
2 cups chicken broth (or 1 can = 1 3/4 C)
thyme (optional)
1/2 to 1 C heavy cream (optional)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cut tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out seeds, using the opportunity to purge emotional frustrations by picturing the head of that mean little kid in third grade who called you fatso. Place in baking pan, drizzle with a little olive oil (or not, if you're being stoic) then bake at 350 until soft, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. The roasted tomatoes end up pretty limp. Don't worry, they get pureed.
Keep the juices in the pan and peel off the roasted skins. This is a one of those Do-I-actually-have-to-do-this? steps. And the answer is...yes, you do. I've pared off the skin before roasting and somehow the roasted flavor did not seem quite as intense. So please go the extra step. And don't rationalize not peeling just because it gets pureed. I guarantee at least one tiny piece of peel will survive and get caught in your guest's front tooth...and then won't both of you look silly.
Dice veggies and saute in 1 Tbl olive oil for approx 20 minutes or until soft. Do this step while the tomatoes are roasting and you are contemplating universal peace. Pat yourself on the back for multi-tasking.
Add the broth, tomatoes and juice, a little thyme if you have it, salt and pepper, then puree the whole thing, leaving it either chunky or going for the totally smooth look.
At this point the soup is done. From here, you can deviate and add heavy cream for a very tasty and elegant soup. However, for non-party times, I actually prefer it without the cream as the intense tomato/fennel rustic taste comes through and goes great with a dense bread, like ciabatta or semolina. I've even reduced the partially pureed base further and served it on top of fresh pasta with grated romano cheese.
Unadorned, it makes you feel--dare I say--virtuous? Unless, of course, you are on an "absolutely no-carbs allowed" diet, in which case just use the paper this recipe is printed on to wrap up the remains of your bacon/egg/steak fest.
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997
From: Marilyn in FL
Conditional Note: The soul of this soup is derived from roasting flavorful tomatoes. It is not worth paying $4 a pound (the going rate for a single, large tomato) if they are fresh, but tasteless. In that case, wait until summer when your neighbor is begging you to take tomatoes off his hands.
Rec: Fennel and Tomato Soup
4 large fresh meaty tomatoes (Beefsteaks, Ruskin)
1 large onion
1 fresh fennel bulb, cored, white part only.
2 organic carrots
2 cups chicken broth (or 1 can = 1 3/4 C)
thyme (optional)
1/2 to 1 C heavy cream (optional)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cut tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out seeds, using the opportunity to purge emotional frustrations by picturing the head of that mean little kid in third grade who called you fatso. Place in baking pan, drizzle with a little olive oil (or not, if you're being stoic) then bake at 350 until soft, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. The roasted tomatoes end up pretty limp. Don't worry, they get pureed.
Keep the juices in the pan and peel off the roasted skins. This is a one of those Do-I-actually-have-to-do-this? steps. And the answer is...yes, you do. I've pared off the skin before roasting and somehow the roasted flavor did not seem quite as intense. So please go the extra step. And don't rationalize not peeling just because it gets pureed. I guarantee at least one tiny piece of peel will survive and get caught in your guest's front tooth...and then won't both of you look silly.
Dice veggies and saute in 1 Tbl olive oil for approx 20 minutes or until soft. Do this step while the tomatoes are roasting and you are contemplating universal peace. Pat yourself on the back for multi-tasking.
Add the broth, tomatoes and juice, a little thyme if you have it, salt and pepper, then puree the whole thing, leaving it either chunky or going for the totally smooth look.
At this point the soup is done. From here, you can deviate and add heavy cream for a very tasty and elegant soup. However, for non-party times, I actually prefer it without the cream as the intense tomato/fennel rustic taste comes through and goes great with a dense bread, like ciabatta or semolina. I've even reduced the partially pureed base further and served it on top of fresh pasta with grated romano cheese.
Unadorned, it makes you feel--dare I say--virtuous? Unless, of course, you are on an "absolutely no-carbs allowed" diet, in which case just use the paper this recipe is printed on to wrap up the remains of your bacon/egg/steak fest.
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