Tomato soup is the perfect dish for any season. In hot summer, cold tomato soups are prepared, and when the cold comes, it is time for a warm and hearty tomato puree soup. The beauty of tomato soup is not only that it can be served hot or chilled, but also that you can make it very different by varying the base and ingredients.
Winter cherry tomato soup
This delicious soup is made with chicken broth, but if you are a vegetarian, just replace it with a vegetable one. You will need:
- 6 large sprigs of cherry tomatoes;
- 2 heads of white onions;
- 8 cloves of garlic;
- ¼ cup of olive oil;
- 500 ml of broth;
- 2 bay leaves;
- ¼ cups of basil leaves;
- a pinch of powdered sugar;
- salt and black pepper.
Preheat oven to 210C. Wash the tomatoes, remove from the twigs and pat dry. Cut into halves or quarters. Peel the onion and garlic, chop the onion in half rings, crush the garlic with the back of a wide knife. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and mix the tomatoes, onions and garlic in one layer. Pour in the olive oil and stir well so that all the pieces are covered on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Bake vegetables for 20 minutes. Check the tomatoes and drain if too much juice comes out of the tomatoes. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are brown. Place them in a large saucepan, cover with warm broth, add bay leaves and cook for 20-30 minutes. Remove the lavrushka, season with powdered sugar and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and add to the soup. Cook for about 10 more minutes, then purée with a hand blender. When serving soup, you can add to it:
- grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar);
- sour cream, cream, mascarpone or yogurt;
- balsamic vinegar;
- fried leeks;
- croutons.
Classic gazpacho
For lunch on a hot summer day, Spanish cold tomato soup gazpacho is the perfect dish. It is also important that only in summer the soup turns out to be correct, because you will be able to get a real taste only by using aromatic, ripe, seasonal tomatoes. Take:
- 1 ½ kilograms of tomatoes;
- 1 long cucumber;
- 2 red bell peppers;
- 1 hot jalapeno pepper;
- ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar;
- ½ cup of olive oil;
- salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Rinse and dry the tomatoes, cut them in half and cut the stem. Cut the skin off the cucumber, cut it in half and remove the seeds. For both peppers, cut off the stalks and remove the seeds. Cut vegetables into cubes. Combine all vegetables, vinegar and oil in a large bowl, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 8-12 hours to juice. Purée vegetables with a blender, season with salt and pepper, add ice and serve.
