Tomato Soup

After my first year in college, I worked a variety of jobs over the summer – intern at an environmental NGO, babysitter, and in retail. It was the first summer I’d ever worked like that (at one point I estimated 60 hours/week was probably a conservative estimate) and about halfway through I just got tired of bringing my lunch. In some ways I was lucky – I was working at Nordstrom in the costumed jewelry department, so I could just grab something at the Café and eat it in the employee break room.

In fact, I’d go so frequently, I wouldn’t even have to beg to get them to serve me the children’s tomato soup special – a cup of their tomato soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich. If you’ve never had the tomato soup at the Nordstrom Café, you are missing out. It’s deliciously chunky, actually tastes like tomato, and has a fabulous mixture of herbs.

This soup doesn’t replicate the soup. I’ve found that I like a bit of spice in my soups, so instead of aiming for the sweeter, almost Bolognese flavor of the Nordstrom soup, this version is chunky with a hint of a kick. And I think I’ve succeeded nicely in this version.

Tomato Soup

Slightly adapted from Serious Eats

This soup is actually very easy to make vegan – simply substitute water or vegetable broth for the chicken broth and instead of cream to thicken the soup, use a slice of bread, crusts off and torn into 1-inch cubes. Add the bread while the soup simmers and simply blend it along with the rest of the ingredients at the end.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch coriander

Pinch dried basil, crushed

1 bay leaf

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth/water

1/3 cup light cream

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

Large soup pot, immersion blender

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf cook until beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the dried basil, cumin, red pepper flakes, and coriander and cook until spices are toasted, about 30 seconds to a minute.

Add the tomatoes and their juices and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and remove bay leaf. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook at least 20 minutes but up to 45 minutes if time permits. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Add cream slowly over low heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Top with rice, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, a poached egg, or the classic grilled cheese.

Serves 4-6