We had a wonderful weekend at the Savannah Convention Center for the Low Country Home and Garden Show. We were joined by several chefs and restaurant owners from across Savannah and South Carolina. We had some fabulous Ahi Tuna, Butternut Squash Gnocchi and so much more.
I did my first cooking demo in years at the show last weekend. It was so much fun. I made one of my favorites…Tomato Soup. The recipe I promised to share. Here it is.
The recipe works perfectly if it is cut in half and it freezes very well.
- 4 28oz canes DICED tomato.
- 1 stick butter
- 3 yellow onions, chopped (1 poblano pepper or jalapeño optional)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup good quality chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt (we prefer kosher)
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Using a good quality stock pot, melt butter. When it begins to bubble, add your onions and cook them slowly until they soften. (this could take 10-15 minutes. The key is to be patient)
Add flour and stir to make a ‘roux.’ The flour will thicken with the moisture from the butter and the onion. Keep heat on low, but keep mixing it up.
Add tomatoes and all of your seasoning and stir. Bring pot to a boil, stirring frequently. Lower heat to as low as you can go and stir.
Stir your soup every 3 to 5 minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom of your pot. It will burn if you don’t keep it moving. That’s no fun.
After about 25-30 minutes, using an immersion blender, puree your soup until it reaches a consistency of your choice. Some prefer a little chunky, I personally prefer as creamy as possible. In reaching that consistency you can add heavy cream or not.
I like to simmer for another 30 minutes. Maybe longer. Stirring very regularly. It becomes more concentrated the longer we cook it down.
You can add sweeteners at this point. Whether that be more sugar, or maybe your favorite honey. The point is this soup is really a blank slate. You can go in any direction you want from here.
Cheers…
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