Caramelized Tomato Soup

Name: Caramelized Tomato Soup
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 roma tomatoes, very ripe; 2 cans diced tomatoes (14oz. each); 1 tbsp tomato paste; 2 small to medium carrots; 1 celery stalk; 1/2 red onion; 2 cloves garlic; 200 gr elbow or any other small pasta (7oz); 170 gr panela cheese (6oz); 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 4 tbsp sour cream; to taste tarragon; to taste salt (I use pink Himalaya salt); to taste freshly ground black pepper

Felix Cortes @Felix

Mostly Connecticut/NYC area

This is a "slightly" more ellaborate recipe than your run-on-the-mill canned tomato soup, and it takes a bit longer to make than just open the can and heat. But the smells in the kitchen and the smiles at the table make it well worth it!

It uses tomatoes in three different forms (fresh, canned, and tomato paste) which gives it a texture no canned tomato soup can hope to imitate!

For this recipe, I use panela cheese, a Mexican white cheese. Should you not find it, you can substitute with paneer, farmer's cheese, or any white firm cheese. In a pinch, cubed mozzarella will do the trick!

It uses tomatoes in three different forms (fresh, canned, and tomato paste) which gives it a texture no canned tomato soup can hope to imitate!

Felix Cortes @Felix

Mostly Connecticut/NYC area

It uses tomatoes in three different forms (fresh, canned, and tomato paste) which gives it a texture no canned tomato soup can hope to imitate!

Saved

Ingredients

1 hour

4 servings

2roma tomatoes, very ripe
2cans diced tomatoes (14oz. each)
1tbsp tomato paste
2small to medium carrots
1celery stalk
1/2red onion
2cloves garlic
200 grelbow or any other small pasta (7oz)
170 grpanela cheese (6oz)
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3tbsp unsalted butter
4tbsp sour cream
to taste tarragon
to taste salt (I use pink Himalaya salt)
to taste freshly ground black pepper

Saved

Steps

1 hour

1

Chop carrots, celery, and fresh tomatoes, reserve. Chop onion and garlic.
2

Cut the cheese in small cubes, put in a bowl and reserve for later use.
3

Drain the canned tomatoes over a bowl. Use a spoon to squeeze the tomatoes and get them as dry as possible. Save the juice!
4

Put a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and 1 tbsp butter. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic, season with salt & pepper and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
5

Add carrots, celery, and the fresh tomatoes. Cover and let cook until the carrots are just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6

Add the drained canned tomatoes and the tomato paste. Cook uncovered and stirring frequently, until the tomatoes caramelize, about 15 minutes.
7

While the tomatoes caramelize, boil a pot with salted water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and return to pot, mix with the rest of the butter, salt and pepper, and set aside.
8

Once the tomatoes are caramelized, add the strained juice from the canned tomatoes, plus 2 cups water to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes (the vegetables should be very tender at the end)
9

Transfer the soup to a blender and pureé. Careful: soup is very hot; start at a low speed and gradually increase it to avoid splattering. Watch for your desired texture: I prefer a a more chunky soup, but you can pureé until silky smooth if you want. Once blended, return to saucepan.
10

Add the buttered pasta to the soup and mix well.
11

Divide the cheese into plates and scoop the soup on top. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of tarragon. Enjoy!