Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Smoky Tomato Soup


Consider yourself lucky if this is the first time you are hearing that I've been sick. I can't stand when I'm sick and I have tendency not to be able to talk about anything else. I also am highly suspicious of medicine. So I often avoid it, which you could argue, might be why I'm still sick. But I swear gurgling warm salt water and eating a strange amount of brussels sprouts is working and really, tomorrow I think I'll be totally fine.

And the reason I'm sick? Soup. I know, I know.

Gavin came home sick early last week so I decided to make him soup after work because I'm 27 going on 60. I wasn't worried I'd get sick because I believe I have a superior immune system. I was so not worried that when he didn't finish his bowl of soup I finished it for him. I even had a passing thought that this probably wasn't brilliant but was so egotistical about my soup strength that I didn't care.

Sniffle sniffle cough cough. And that is why I had to miss this soup night at Alayna's. And I'm souper sad (can't help it) that I did because how good does this soup look? Roasted tomatoes. Amazing. When I'm stronger I will recreate this masterpiece in a bowl and I'll never be sick again.


The Soup!

  • Cut 6-7 very ripe tomatoes in half and put face down on a baking sheet with half a head of unpeeled garlic (or whole, I only had half) with the top cut off and a little olive oil sprinkled on. Put in the oven at 375 for about 30-40 minutes, until the skin easily comes off the tomatoes and the garlic is soft
  • Put 3 dried chiles pasillas and 2 dried chiles anchos on a different baking pan and put in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until they are puffed up. Take out and let cool.
  • Once cool, cut the stems out of the peppers and take out the seeds. Put all the other parts into the blender
  • When your tomatoes and garlic are ready, put them into the blender as well. The garlic should easily squeeze out of it's casing. You will want to wait a little bit for your tomatoes to cool so that the lid doesn't fly off the blender, so in the mean time....
  • .... chop one yellow onion and saute in olive oil
  • Once translucent, add one large can of diced roasted tomatoes with juice and slowly heat
  • Blend your chile/fresh tomato/garlic mixture thoroughly and add to the pot
  • Top off with chicken broth and like, simmer about 30 minutes
  • In those thirty minutes, cut up an avocado, grate some sharp cheddar cheese and heat up a pan of oil to cook up some tortilla strips.
  • When all the elements are in place, serve yourself with avocado, cheese and tortilla strips on top


  • 3 comments:

    1. and yes, this is a weird combination of the sopa azteca, lime soup and the salsa for the timbale.... i just loved all of those things and wanted more! it's not my fault things are delicious.

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    2. hello! I have made two of your soups so far and this one was great. I used habanero peppers (only kind available at tiny greenpoint faux-whole foods) which made it super hot. so I added half a cup of fat free greek yogurt which gave it the most wonderful creamy texture and pretty pinky/orange color. I love this soup. my boyfriend is eating it cold for breakfast right now.

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    3. haha... amazing! and it's great b/c each of the different peppers have very different flavors. i'm sure different ones come out with very different soups. either way, if you want cheap dried peppers, the essex st market (delancey and essex) has a great variety, as would other markets in mostly latino or asian (random, same climate = a lot of the same delicious delicious foods) neighborhoods.

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