I was not led astray, nor would I expect any less from my new favorite cooking magazine. While there were far too many steps in this recipe than I care for, the result was far better than I could have imagined. It was meaty, sweet, and silky smooth. The flavor was the most savory I have ever tasted coming from tomatoes, but it still retained that lovely sweetness that comes from tomatoes, as well. I think a lot of that sweetness comes from the use of whole canned tomatoes, plus tomato paste. Of course, there is sugar in the recipe, but it is a means to caramelize the tomatoes as they roast in the oven. I will say this, though, that step is a pain in the ass. I ended up with what I feel was far too few tomatoes, by the time I was done seeding them and laying them out on a cooking sheet. I also didn't seem to get the kind of caramelization that I was originally expecting, so I have a feeling I might've overcooked them. However, this did not detract from the end result. This soup was definitely the highly sophisticated city relative of its Campbell's canned country bumpkin, but both are equally warming of the soul. They say chicken soup is the food of the soul, but my soul'll take tomato soup any day.
Bonus time!
So, what does everyone think of when they think tomato soup? Grilled cheese, right? Right. Well, with a sophisticated cream of tomato soup like this, we needed a sophisticated sandwich. American singles and white bread were not going to cut it with this bowl. I turned to this one sandwich that Marshall and I absolutely adore. It's sweet and salty, buttery and just incredibly delicious: Ham, Manchego, and Fig Tartines. Leave it to my Gourmet magazine (RIP) to have a last page of the September 2008 to hide these gems of sandwiches. The French tartine is an open-faced sandwich, but the recipes on this page are far from the original. This particular sandwich that we enjoyed with our tomato soup leans more toward the Iberian Peninsula, with the ham and manchego cheese. The fig, too, is very Spanish, and I could definitely see something like this on a tapas menu somewhere in Spain. I don't know if I could fully explain the richness that is this sandwich. The baguette, toasted, mingles with the fig (mixed with butter, of course) and infuses the sharp cheese and finally there's this salty jolt from the ham (in this case prosciutto; serrano would be your true Spanish alternative). The sweet and salty was a great companion to the rich and savory tomato soup.If you're feeling homesick, but want still want to wear your tiara (or monocle), this is your meal.
No Soup for You! Week continues...Up next time is my personal all-time favorite soup for eating and freezing: Lentil (Italian-style)!
