Tomato Soup Base and Soup

Several summers ago, The Oregonian, my local newspaper, published some tomato soup recipes; a set of recipes, actually: a tomato soup base to be made and frozen plus some soup recipes that could be made from the soup base. I tried it and have been hooked ever since. Now, every summer when the tomatoes are ripe I make soup base. Then throughout the year, when we feel like a light meal, I defrost some soup base and make a pot of soup.


The soup base should be made with very ripe flavorful tomatoes -- the kind you get at a farmer's market, not the supermarket kind that are shipped green and then "ripened" in warehouses. You really taste the ingredients in the final product, so you want them to be as flavorful as possible. This year I used canning tomatoes from a local organic produce stand. They were a mix of different varieties and not as pretty as slicing tomatoes, but they made great soup!


Versatile Tomato Soup Base
Makes about 14 cups soup base

3 Walla Walla or other sweet onions (2 ½ pounds), cut into ¼ -to ½- inch dice, about 6 ½ cups packed
1 medium celery stalk (3 ounces), cut into ¼-inch dice, about 2/3 cup
¼ cup olive oil
1 large red bell pepper (½ pound), cut into ¼-inch dice, about 1 ¼ cups
20 to 24 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped, about ½ cup
6 pounds tomatoes (very ripe garden or farmers market varieties such as Early Girl, Roma or Beefsteak), cored and chopped¹ into ¾- to 1-inch pieces, about 14 cups

Optional:
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt²
½ teaspoon ground white pepper

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the onions and celery in the olive oil until translucent and almost tender, 10 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in the bell pepper and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and any salt or white pepper. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Allow base to cool. Freeze in 2- or 3-cup portions for later use.

¹ If you want, you can peel and seed the tomatoes, but I don't find it necessary. I may squeeze out the seeds from a particularly ripe seedy tomato, but otherwise I don't usually bother.
² Kosher salt has larger crystals than regular table salt, so if you use table salt, use half as much!


Here is the soup recipe that I use most. It's very flexible and can be made vegetarian or vegan by leaving out the bacon and/or milk or cream. I've had it all ways and can attest that each is delicious.

(Cream of) Tomato Soup
Makes about 8 cups

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped, 2/3 cup
1 tablespoon olive oil, if you're not adding bacon to the soup
6 cups Versatile Tomato Soup Base (thaw fully if frozen)
1 cup water
1 fresh bay leaf
¾ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Optional:
2-4 slices bacon
1/3 cup milk or heavy cream
* Kosher salt and black pepper

If you're using bacon, cook it in a medium pot over medium-low heat until crisp, about 5 minutes, turning frequently. Drain bacon on paper towels; remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Chop bacon; reserve.

Add carrot to pot; cook over medium-high heat in either the bacon fat or 1T of olive oil, stirring until tender, 5 minutes. Add soup base, water, bay leaf, thyme and any reserved bacon. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaf. Add milk or cream if desired. I tend to like it chunky, but if you want a traditional smooth soup, use an immersion blender or conventional blender to puree soup. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.