Pop! Pop! The Sound of Success

After spending mucho time working in the kitchen with tomatoes yesterday, those sealing pop-pop sounds were very satisfying for a canner to hear! I ended up with 8 jars of salsa plus two zip-lock bags to freeze. I think Hannah will be pleased with the to-do items that have gotten crossed off her list since she's been away.

But I still have half a counter full of tomatoes to use up which have a few blemishes and a rotten spot here or there and aren't suitable to use for canning. I was checking out a local herb farm website and ran across a recipe that might be just the thing for the remaining tomatoes.

It's Creamy Tomato Soup (adapted from "Gardeners' Community Cookbook," by Victoria Wise, Smith & Hawken 1999).

1 large onion, chopped
2- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
10- 12 fresh basil leaves, torn
One leafy sprig each fresh thyme and oregano, leaves stripped from stems
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Sour cream (optional)

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and soft, 8- 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, potatoes and broth and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, a pinch of sugar if desired and freshly ground black pepper. Add herbs to pot, simmer to combine flavors and puree either using a handheld immersion blender or pureeing in batches in a food processor or blender. Soup will be very thick and creamy. To serve, pour into warmed bowls with a swirl of sour cream on top, if desired.

If anyone has any other ideas of what to do with tomatoes that can't be used for canning and too many to just eat up on sandwiches, please let me know. Does anyone just freeze chopped tomatoes with the peeling still on? And if so, when you end up thawing and using, is having the peeling included not going to be the best in a recipe? Thanks for any ideas.

~Deb

Comments

[Susan P.]

Wow, you have been busy! I have always loved how pretty the red looks in the canning jars, not to mention how good it will taste. Talking about the tomato soup recipe, several years ago I visited a restaurant in Kentucky that served soup and sandwiches. It was there that I had the absolute BEST tomato soup I have EVER had in my life. They called it Creamy Tomato Basil soup and it was "out of this world." I could kick myself for not getting the recipe. I have tried to duplicate it without any luck, you will have to let me know how this turns out. It might be the one!

[Tammy]

I might be the "theif"who comes to your house and take all of those tomatoes!!Chris makes the best homemade spaghetti sauce-he uses his great grandmother's recipe.

With the weather acting up I hope this won't have Tom working extra hours.

[Randi]

Hi Deb,

You can boil them quick (2 minutes) and remove the skin and then freeze them to use in spaghetti sauce. That is what I did with my excess!

[Dorothy]

The jars look beautiful! I like that pop-pop sound myself...brings back memories of my parents canning when I was a girl. I emailed you a recipe for tomato soup that I've used since 1981...it is sooooo delicious! It has a lot of basil. I wonder if you could add sour cream or heavy cream to it to make it a cream of tomato soup like Susan P. mentioned. All this food talk is making me hungry! :-)

[Susan]

The jars of tomatoes are beautiful!! I'm not a big tomato eater, but I'm thinking about trying to grow some Romas next year to make tomato sauce and pizza sauce. I have no idea what to do with your extras, but the tomato soup recipe looked good to me.

One summer my mom who passed away decided to can tomatoes. I will NEVER forget how hot and sticky we were or the smell of all those tomatoes. For a girl who doesn't like tomatoes all that much, it was awful! LOL But it's a memory I laugh about now and remember my mama - she absolutely loved tomatoes.

[Cindi]

I made salsa today also! I also made tomato sauce. I cut off the blemished etc. before I peel my tomatoes, then I put the tomatoes whole in a pot and boil down. I add basil and oregano before putting in freezer bags. I have also just cut up the tomatoes and frozen them. Some tomatoes don't do well with the just cutting method, their skins are too thick. I usually only use tomatoes with thinner skins for that.

[Deb]

Susan P, I'll let you know how this particular recipe turns out; and Dorothy also sent me one which sounds good, too. Seems basil is a popular ingredient in tomato soup as they both call for lots of it!

Tammy, does Chris share his great-grandmother's recipe? Or is it a family secret? I'd gladly try it out and let you know what we think of it! :) And yes, Tom has already packed for several days "just in case" the storm is bad tomorrow, and he has to stay and work the outages.

Randi, thanks for the suggestion. I did blanche the ones for the salsa and just didn't think I could do the same with the less than perfect ones. But maybe I can.

Dorothy, thanks! thanks! for emailing your favorite tomato soup recipe. I will try yours for sure and let you know how it turns out. Wish our basil was still growing in the garden, but I think it's past its prime.

Thanks, Susan! I'm sure that canning tomato memory really sticks with you! But I'm glad it's a good memory of your mom now.

Cindi, hmm, so you peel your tomatoes first and then just boil. I guess I just didn't want to go to the trouble of peeling, but that's probably the best way to not end up with peels in what you'll use them for later. Thanks! Sounds like you've been busy, too!!

[Susan]

Ooh! My sister and I have been looking for a tomato soup recipe. We may have to try this one. Thanks :).