Rosie Makes Tomato Soup.

When the Hawthornes ate out a few weeks ago

at the Saltbox Cafe on Colington Road,
Mr. Hawthorne had their Tomato Basil Soup,
which he loved,
and wanted me to try and recreate it at home.

It is rare that Rosie likes something so much at a restaurant
that she'll try to make it at home.


But, sure.
 Rosie will put her spin on it.

I started out with a 1/2 cup each
of chopped carrots and red onion

and two minced garlic cloves.

I had 6 Roma tomatoes ...

... which I peeled, seeded, and juiced.

 Remove peels, seeds, and juice.
This is my garbage bowl.

Chop the 'maters.

I heated a tablespoon each of unsalted butter

and Olio Carlo Extra Virgin olive oil in my pan

and added the chopped carrots and ...

...  the chopped onions.

Cook over medium low for about 10 minutes.

Add in the garlic and ...

...  the tomatoes ...

... and take time out for a glass of champagne.

If you notice my legal pad,

I'm making this up as I go along.

It's the way Rosie rolls.

A fountain pen is always a nice touch.

Marion would have liked that.

EAM, miss you.

I added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste

and a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes.

Rinse the can out with water to get all the tomato bits.

Add in 3 cups of chicken stock.

I brought this to a boil

and reduced to a bare simmer.

Let cook for about 45 minutes.

Taste test and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

After 45 minutes,

I added two tablespoons of brown sugar.

That acidity needed a bit of taming.

After 60 minutes, I added in a cup of cream.

Occasionally, come in and stir,

squishing the tomato pieces against the side of the pan

to get all the flavor.

Keep cooking, maybe 30-40 minutes more,

to develop the flavor and reduce the mixture by half.

Immersion blend!

Blend away.

 Blend until creamy smooth.

I minced some green pepper,

a Roma tomato, and some cucumber.

I enriched the soup by swirling a pat of butter through it.

Top with a little minced pepper, tomato, and cucumber.

Sprinkle fresh basil on top

and tuck in a Parmesan crisp.

Tomatoes and basil were made for each other.

This was an intensely rich and flavorful tomato soup.

Thank you, Saltbox Café,
for inspiring me.