In addition to Snert, my other favorite soup indulgence in Holland is tomato cream soup. I’m quite fond of the Unox version out of a can [or bag], but I had been looking forward to soup month for ages so I could try out making my own. The one I ended up making is an OntheFly adaptation of my friend Rachel’s homemade version that you can find here.
[Prep: 5min / Cook: 25min]
Ingredients– 2 celery stalks
– 2-3 full sprigs of green onion
– 2 cloves of garlic
– 1 cup chicken broth
– 1 16oz can tomato puree (about 2 cups)
– 1 cup heavy cream
– 1 tsp of sugar
– a shot of whiskey
– a dash of basil
– a dash of pepper
- Chop celery, onion and garlic into chunks.
- Add chopped vegetables and chicken broth to a blender or food processor and puree.
- Move mixture to a large pot and add tomato puree. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Mix in cream, sugar, whiskey, basil and pepper and heat for about 1-2 minutes more.
- Ready to eat!
[Serves 2]
Suggested Sides- a grilled cheese sandwich
- a fresh salad
- buttered crackers or goldfish crackers
- ham and cheese cubes
- a pickle slice
- I
n general, tomato cream soup is made by cooking down whole vegetables (tomatoes, celery, onions, etc) with water and/or broth and then carefully blending in batches before adding the cream. That’s a bit too tedious for me and blending hot soup can be dangerous- which is why I put together this method instead. - That being said, my final product was ever-so-slightly more ‘pureed’ in texture than the canned-soup counterpart. I might consider blending the tomato with the vegetables in the beginning or using tomato sauce instead next time … but probably not.
- Why whiskey? I saw some nice recipes that used a touch of sherry or brandy, but quite simply, what I have in the house is whiskey and I can’t be asked to buy something else just so I can put a bit of it in a soup. As it turned out, I could taste the touch of whiskey in the soup and it was fabulous. I think I’m going to make that one of my personal secrets.
- You probably know by now that when it comes to cheese and cream, I veer far, far away from healthy. Lighter creams and milk can be used for healthier alternatives if you choose.