Black Tie Tomato Soup

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:
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
  1. Mix gelatin in ¼ c cold water; let stand until softened. Place over low heat, stir 3 minutes, set aside.
  2. 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".
  3. Put pureed and chopped tomato mixture in heavy saucepan.
  4. Add sugar, salt, pepper and half minced garlic. Blend in gelatin. Add bay leaves.
  5. Place saucepan on low heat.
  6. Fry bacon until crisp, drain well, crumble.
  7. In small bowl, whip butter; add bacon, remaining garlic, thyme, basil; blend thoroughly.
  8. Place bacon mixture in large frying pan and melt over medium heat.
  9. Add onions; saute lightly. Warm vodka in a small pan, add to bacon-onion mixture, and ignite.
  10. Increase heat of tomato mixture; add bacon/onion mixture, stirring until blended.
  11. Simmer gently 20 minutes.
  12. Remove bay leaves.
  13. 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.

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