I’ve been feeling like having soup with some crusty, steamy-when-you-break-it-open bread. Today, I made just that. I made a tomato soup that was creamy and tart with fire-roasted tomatoes, and herb-y with fresh basil. My husband loves soup – it’s one of his favorite food groups – so I thought this was perfect.
And the bread – oh, the bread! I love homemade bread, but sometimes can’t find the time to let it proof and all that stuff. But this morning I woke up extra early, and found some time in the day to do that. I used a trusty recipe from Michael Ruhlman, from a book called Ratio. I threw in a tablespoon or two of some chopped rosemary that’s growing from my garden – I’m even growing a peach tree and some blueberry bushes, but we’ll see if those come into fruition! I have to get lemons from my neighbor because mine are nonexistent. Pooh. Anyways, I baked the boule in a Dutch oven and it smells fantastic. I even was able to read some chapters of a book I’m on and drink some coffee on the deck while waiting for that first dough rise. That’s what I call an accomplished morning!
Oh, and another thing. I used a blend of whole milk and fat-free milk, because the whole milk is what my baby drinks, and I drink the skim milk. You can easily swap it all out and substitute for 2 cups of 2% milk to make it easier on your grocery list. You can use the rest of the 2% milk for your coffee instead of creamer. I just used what I had on hand, but I do like a little fat for creaminess – using all skim milk probably would make it too watery.
Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup
makes 9 cups
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted garlic diced tomatoes
3/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
4 oz Neufchatel (1/3-less-fat) cream cheese, diced
1 cup whole milk
1 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, then the onions, stirring frequently until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, and the fresh basil. Turn down the heat to medium and add the cream cheese, milks, and sugar. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cream cheese is melted. Turn off the heat.
2. Use a blender or an immersion blender for the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, when all ingredients have been blended. Return to the stove for another 15 minutes at medium heat, until soup is simmering. Turn off the heat and serve.
