When I was a child, Campbell’s Tomato Soup was the food for sickies (along with saltine crackers). This soup is nothing like that one!
Black Tie Tomato Soup
More expensive, vine-ripe tomatoes would possibly make an even more flavorful soup. But I've had no complaints from Costco flats.
Author: Kathy Gill
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 T unflavored gelatin
- 5 lbs tomatoes (because that's a Costco flat)
- 2 T (heaping) brown sugar
- 2 t salt
- 1 t pepper
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 6-8 slices bacon
- 10 T unsalted butter
- ½ t dried thyme
- 2 t dried basil
- 1 small white onion, chopped fine
- ½ c vodka (gin was in the original recipe)
- Chopped parsley
- 1 c heavy cream, whipped
Instructions
- Mix gelatin in ¼ c cold water; let stand until softened. Place over low heat, stir 3 minutes, set aside.
- Peel and seed the tomatoes; puree in blender till smooth. Note: reserve a couple tomatoes and chop if you want the soup to have "texture".
- Put pureed and chopped tomato mixture in heavy saucepan.
- Add sugar, salt, pepper and half minced garlic. Blend in gelatin. Add bay leaves.
- Place saucepan on low heat.
- Fry bacon until crisp, drain well, crumble.
- In small bowl, whip butter; add bacon, remaining garlic, thyme, basil; blend thoroughly.
- Place bacon mixture in large frying pan and melt over medium heat.
- Add onions; saute lightly. Warm vodka in a small pan, add to bacon-onion mixture, and ignite.
- Increase heat of tomato mixture; add bacon/onion mixture, stirring until blended.
- Simmer gently 20 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Garnish with parsley, whipped cream.
Notes
This is "double" the recipe from the two cookbooks that served as its inspiration. I cannot imagine half this serving four, although that's what is in the cookbooks. Adjust the garlic and bacon based on your love of the flavor; for my husband there is no such thing as too much garlic, but that is not my palette!
Originally shared on the WetLeather database.