Here’s the thing about produce in San Francisco; if you’re going to buy a tomato, you’ve got to practically invest in a tomato. I’ve found inner city grocery store produce to be exceptionally uninspiring, but the alternative is the pedigreed-heirloom-organically-coddled $8/lb tomatoes that you find in the hipsterrific boroughs. Lucky for me, tomatoes are in season right now, so it’s gotten just a bit easier to find ripe, fresh, flavorful tomatoes that I remember picking in my backyard.
I picked up a couple pounds of San Marzano tomatoes to make Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Tomato Soup this afternoon. I also nabbed some cherry tomatoes to make another SK recipe that I’ve been lusting after for a little while, but that’s another story.
This is not a difficult recipe, although it’s a bit time consuming to properly roast the tomatoes, so I’d budget at least 1-1/2 to 2 hours for prep before you can dig in.
1. Wash and slice those tomatoes (plum, or another firm varietal, works best) lengthwise and arrange cut-side up on a baking sheet.
2. Generously sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. My dad recently gave me a jar of sea salt he collected from the coastline up beyond the Golden Gate, far from our polluted water. I’ve been using it a lot and haven’t died yet, so.
3. Roast tomatoes at 400F for about an hour, or until soft and brownish. I’d recommend taking the garlic out before the hour-mark, as about half of mine were too overcooked and too hard for soup by the time i took them out of the oven. 30-40 minutes should do the trick.
4. Let the fruits of your labor (ha!) cool for a bit, while you prep the pan for the rest of your soupy goodness. I did 3 1/3 cups water + a healthy dose of chicken bouillon, but broth or stock would work equally well, if not better. I started the water simmering with half a bouillon cube while the tomatoes were resting.
5. Scoop the tomatoes and the (now-peeled) garlic into your food processor or blender and pulse ’til it’s a delicious, chunky puree. If you want your soup smoother, by all means keep going, but a little texture is nice with these flavors.
6. Add the tomato puree along with 1/4 tsp dried thyme and 1/4 tsp red chili flakes to the broth. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for about 25 minutes. You’ll want to keep it uncovered so that the flavors can concentrate and the soup can thicken up a bit.
Serve however you like – I ate mine with crushed up crackers because I was starving by the time I was done, but the original recipe suggests topping it off with an open-faced, broiled grilled cheese sandwich. Words are not enough to express how good of an idea this is.
I recommend everyone check out Deb’s recipe at Smitten Kitchen for exact proportions, vastly superior pictures and excellent serving suggestions.