Un-Red Roasted Tomato Soup

Most tomato soup tastes like spaghetti sauce mixed with broth. Sometimes even really good spaghetti sauce mixed with broth, but still. This is something else altogether.

Why? Because it uses only fresh tomatoes, with no tomato paste and no canned tomatoes. In fact, the color of the soup comes out more orange than red. I admit, when I first made it, I was disappointed that my tomato soup didn’t look like Warhol’s Campbell’s iconography. What is tomato soup if not red?

What is it? Good. Light on your belly. Not acidic. Soothing. Sweet. Nuanced.

However, to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself, I did a taste test. I made two versions of the exact same recipe, one with fresh Roma tomatoes and the other with really good canned ones, and I called my neighbors Judy and Martin.

Judy and Martin are upright professionals, a lawyer and a doctor respectively. But I have a feeling that before parenthood, they each took a few rides on the magic bus. In the past, when my late-night parties woke up their kids, this lovely couple asked only if I’d had a good time. No complaints issued. I think they may have wanted to be invited over for an un-parental puff.

Anyway, I brought over the two soups, each one poured over a piece of crusty bread and doused with excellent olive oil. I watched and waited and did everything in my power to keep my mouth shut while they tasted. The results were interesting: both Martin and Judy initially gravitated towards the red canned variety. But then Martin started reconsidering. “This one is growing on me. Judy, try it again,” he said, as he continued to shovel spoonfuls of the fresh tomato soup into his mouth. “It doesn’t grab you at first, because it’s not the tomato soup you expect.”

He was right. Its goodness is in its subtlety. Judy soon followed suit and the red version was left alone. Their kids, lured from their homework dungeons by the commotion, were thrilled to participate in the food war. To my surprise, both boys immediately chose the Un-Red Roasted Tomato Soup.

And thus, so have I.

P.S. This soup tastes like the Tuscan pappa al pomodoro, which is a tomato bread soup. In alignment with my California approach to eating, we are only adding one piece of bread per serving. Pappa al pomodoro is made with leftover stale bread, so assuming you don’t have old bread lying around, we will “stale” bread on the oven.

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Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Roma tomatoes (12 to 16 tomatoes)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, finely chopped

• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped

• 4 to 6 cups No-Chop Chicken Broth or veggie broth

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

• Pain rustique, ciabatta, or other country bread, optional

Directions

Roast the tomatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F

2. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

3. Place the tomatoes face up on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

4. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Use your fingers to mix it all together. Lie the tomatoes back down peel side up so that they’re easier to remove once roasted.

5. Place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for 35 minutes.

6. When cooled, use your finger to take off the peel. It’s ok if some is left on here and there, we just want most of it off.
   

“Stale” the bread

1. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices.

2. Place it on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until “staled”, 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Set aside.

Make the soffritto:

1. Place a heavy soup pot over medium heat for a few minutes.

2. Add the remaining olive oil, the onions, carrots, and celery. Let them cook for a good 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to lower the heat and let it go until nice and golden brown, another 10 to 20 minutes.

Finish the soup:

1. Add the roasted tomatoes and 4 cups of the broth. (Keep the remaining broth in case you want to thin out the soup.)

2. Bring to a gentle boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

3. Add the garlic cloves and the fresh basil.

4. Pour the hot contents into a blender. Don’t fill it more than halfway, and be careful that your lid is on tight. Purée. This might need to be done in stages, or use a hand blender. Taste for salt and add more until flavorful.

5. Pour over “staled” bread and drizzle with your best olive oil.

6. Garnish with basil and serve.