CUSP SZN = SOUP SZN
Happy Thursdee, frens! It’s hot one day, and chilly the next. If the weather in your area is about as steady as a wooden rollercoaster these days, we can totally relate! But when even the slightest chill starts to set in, we are keen to break out our dutch ovens and make a pot of soup.
This Tomato and White Bean Soup from Elizabeth is almost so simple you don’t even need the recipe… it’s the perfect pantry dinner for those unexpected chilly nights!
TOMATO AND WHITE BEAN SOUP
EK: A few years ago, I traveled to Primland Resort located on the border of North Carolina and Virginia in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
I was there to teach a weekend of grilling and it was one of those perfect late Summer days that was cool and crisp, giving a glimpse of the Fall to come.
I sat down outside to take in the gorgeous view and order lunch. I was both surprised and delighted that tomato soup was on the menu. In full disclosure, tomato soup and grilled cheese is my all-time favorite comfort food. I would’ve been happy with Campbell’s tomato bisque, but what arrived was the best tomato soup that I had ever tasted.
AU: I love a tomato soup and grilled cheese moment. And growing up, I used to think that La Madeline’s Tomato-Basil Soup was the PINNACLE of fancy lunches!
EK: Wasn’t it?! I loved La Madeline. But back to my Primland soup…a few hours later, I was having a drink with their executive chef and I asked him if they had made the tomato soup from scratch. He was a little surprised that I liked it so much, because it is as simple as it gets.
To address the cool weather, he had asked his cooks to make tomato soup for the guests—like me—that would inevitably think cool weather=tomato soup.
EK: When he gave me the recipe, I could not believe how easy it was. Basically, the cooks sautéed onions and garlic in butter, added canned tomatoes, some water, and herbs and let it simmer until everything was cooked through. At that point, they seasoned the soup with salt and pepper, and just enough heavy cream to balance the acid of the tomatoes. It seemed a little too simple, but I gave it a shot as soon as I got home.
AU: Simple ain’t always easy, and easy ain’t always simple! But those few ingredients probably let the tomatoes really shine, so I would definitely do as EAK does, and purchase some really good canned tomatoes—like ones from Italy that specifically say “D.O.P.” (pictured above), or Chris Bianco’s ‘maters are always fantastic.
EK: I think sautéing the onions and garlic in butter, instead of olive oil, gives the soup a richness that you often do not get with tomato soup.
AU: I agree. If a tomato soup lacks richness, it just kinda feels like you’re eating a bowl of tomato sauce, no?
EK: Absolutely! After I made it once, I started experimenting. I settled on sautéing the onions and garlic in butter just as they had at Primland, but I also add extra virgin olive oil for flavor.
I experimented with thinning-out the soup with tomato juice, chicken stock, vegetable stock, water and a little white wine. After trying all of those ideas, I decided that—although optional—a healthy splash of white wine helps deepen the flavor, and I use half-and-half instead of cream to balance the soup and thin it out.
I happen to like a thicker soup so I don’t need it to be very thin. The beauty of this soup is that you can customize it to make it your own.
EK: It is sooooo very simple that you can make it for dinner on the spur of the moment—and that is just what I did this week!
You start by sautéing the onions and garlic in butter until translucent in color. I sliced a sweet Vidalia onion and added a bit of a red onion, some scallions and a few cherry tomatoes that were in my fridge. [This is the kind of soup that you can add like-minded bits and bobs that you have left over and it will only make it better. If you have a carrot that needs cooking, grate it and sauté with the onion, likewise add a few leftover cherry tomatoes or red pepper to the sautéing veg. You could probably use a little celery too but after that, I personally wouldn’t muddy the flavors with other vegetables like zucchini, corn, beets, mushrooms etc., but if it tastes good to you, do it.]
Next, add the canned tomatoes, and seasonings, wine if using, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Finally add your cream or half-and-half and let an immersion blender do its magic!
Choosing basil as the herb may seem like a no-brainer—and it was good enough for La Madeline—but my favorite herb to use is thyme and I use both dried thyme and fresh thyme. Adding the fresh thyme leaves at the end just before you serve it takes this soup from good to great!
After making the soup a couple of times, I decided to turn it into a more nutritious meal by adding a can of premium cannellini beans, a.k.a. white beans, and a generous grating of Parmesan Reggiano cheese. The addition of the white beans and the cheese turns this simple, humble tomato soup into a meal that sticks to your ribs.
AU: I love that! And I bet you could make this soup entirely vegan, if you blitzed up some of the beans to add heft instead of adding dairy.
EK: That’s a great idea and you might need 2 cans of the cannellini beans if you want to follow Anthony’s lead and make it vegan. Whichever way you make it, serve the soup with your favorite salad and crusty bread with olive oil on the side for dipping.
Love the simplicity and possible variations.
This looks amazing! Will save for when it isn't 98F anymore!