Tomato Soup
The British tomato soup: ripe tomatoes simmered with onion, carrot and basil, blended smooth, finished with cream and a swirl of olive oil.
Overview
The British weeknight classic, the soup that arrives in a mug with a buttered slice of bread on a damp afternoon. You soften onion, garlic and celery in butter, then drop in fresh ripe tomatoes (or a generous tin if winter is being unhelpful), stock, a sprig of basil or thyme, and simmer for twenty minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and the kitchen smells like a Mediterranean greengrocer. From there you can leave it chunky and rustic or blitz it smooth in a blender, with a slick of cream stirred in at the end if you want it richer. Eaten with a grilled cheese sandwich, fresh bread torn alongside, or a scatter of croutons on top. A simple, forgiving recipe; the only thing that matters is the quality of the tomatoes.
Ingredients
Fat
- 50 ml olive oil
- 25 grams unsalted butter
Vegetables
- 3 onions (chopped)
- 3 carrots (cut into 5 mm dice)
- 3 celery sticks (cut into 5 mm dice)
- 900 grams ripe tomatoes
Aromatics
- 1 garlic clove (large, crushed)
- small bunch of fresh basil (chopped)
- small bunch of tarragon (chopped)
- 1 bay leaf
Protein
- 6 smoked back bacon rashers (rinded and chopped)
Seasonings
- 750 ml chicken stock
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
Method
Stage 1 - Prepare tomatoes
- Score a cross in the base of each tomato, and place into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice cold water, drain and peel away the skins.
Stage 2 - Cook vegetables
- Sweat the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil and butter for a few minutes.
- Add the herbs, bay leaf and garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the bacon and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.
Stage 3 - Simmer soup
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters and then cut each quarter in half.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, and cover, cooking gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to help the tomatoes break down.
- When the tomatoes have softened, start to add the chicken stock, a ladle at a time, until it forms a looser consistency (The amount of stock added depends on how thick or thin the desired soup needs to be).
- Leave the soup to cook for 20 minutes, on a slow, gentle bubble.
- Check for seasoning, and add the tomato purée.
- Remove the bay leaf.
Stage 4 - Finish and serve
- If making a purée of the soup, allow to cool for a few minutes and add the soup to a blender and purée until it reaches the desired consistency. Add a little cream and return to the pan to heat through.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Use ripe tomatoes for the best flavor; peeling them helps achieve a smoother texture.
- Vegetarian option: Omit the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Cream: Optional for puree version; adds richness but can be skipped for a lighter soup.
Serving
Serve hot with fresh warm bread and topped with croutons.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days.
- Freezes well up to 2 months; thaw and reheat gently.
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