There are no tomatoes at the farmer’s market near me these days. It will be months before summer arrives, when tomatoes are at their best, so it’s a bummer I’ll have to wait another trip around the sun before they return. The sandwich, Pasta sauceand salad.
But that’s okay! Because every year, when the temperature drops, I make Anna Garten’s Easy Tomato Soup. First published in his 2012 book, Fool proof, It calls for canned tomatoes.
You’d think that using canned tomatoes for a soup that only cooks for 20 minutes would end up tasting thin, sour, and tinny. It doesn’t make soup. Ina fashion, it’s a. Delicious Soups that are easy to make and call for pantry staples. For over 10 years, this has been my family’s favorite way to jump from one season to the next.
How do I make Anna Garten’s Easy Tomato Soup?
2 Cook the chopped onions in a large Dutch oven with the olive oil until they are translucent and golden around the edges. 3 Stir in the chopped garlic cloves and cook for about a minute. Add 4 cups of chicken stock, a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, a tablespoon of kosher salt (see note below about salt), and a teaspoon of black pepper. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes.
Ina asks for a big pinch of saffron threads, which I’m sure is great.. But it’s not an ingredient I have very often. Also, they are quite expensive, so I don’t use it.
Here’s another thing I do differently because it saves me from washing another dish. Anna boils 1/2 cup of orzo in a separate pot, drains, and adds it to the soup. I cook the orzo directly in the soup with an extra 1/2 cup of water (since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid). The orzo releases some of the starch, thickening the soup a bit. It’s a win.
Orzo takes about 10 minutes to cook. Make sure to keep stirring so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Halfway through, add half a cup of heavy cream. Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwiches cut into cubes à la croutons. My family loves this soup—we never have leftovers.
Make it a smooth, creamy soup
Anna’s soup is smooth—you can see and feel the chopped onions and crushed tomatoes. For reasons I try not to think too hard about, my kids refuse to eat chunky soup. If, like my kids, you prefer it smoother, here are two things you can do:
Use an immersion blender.: The first option is to switch off the stove and use an immersion blender. Carefully Blend the soup in the pot. Make sure the blade head is completely submerged in the soup so that you don’t burn yourself with hot soup.
Use a high speed blender.: Another option is to carefully transfer the soup to a blender to make it smooth.
Regardless of the method you use, blend the soup. First You add the orzo. Otherwise, you’ll overmix the pasta and end up with a sticky, sticky soup.
A note about salt
The first time I made Anna’s tomato soup, it turned out too salty because I used salty store-bought chicken broth, salty canned tomatoes, and the whole tablespoon of kosher salt called for in the recipe. Now I don’t add any salt and think it is perfectly cooked.
Note your ingredients – homemade salted chicken stock and unsalted canned tomatoes will need salt. The easiest way to avoid over-salting the soup is to taste it as you go. I would recommend starting with 1 teaspoon of salt and tasting it before adding more.
If your soup is too salty, adding more water won’t fix it. It may taste less salty, but the soup will be runny and lose its flavor. instead, Add a teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar. or apple cider vinegar. This will control the salinity.