Lunching: A Rustic Tomato Soup Recipe

I've been meaning to share this utterly simple and perfectly basic recipe with you for a few weeks now, but somehow I manage to eat every last drop before snapping a single photo.  We've had alternating hail storms, bitter winds, and generally chilly weather which has had me in the mood for hearty, warming dishes.  However, what I've not been in the mood for is long hours at the stove when such exciting work is happening in the studio.  This soup fits the bill; it's a snap to make, chances are you have everything rolling about in the panty, and it tastes far fancier than it looks.  While I love to whip up extravagant courses, I also put a lot of stock in being able to make magic happen with a couple cans and an old clove of garlic.

~ Rustic Tomato Soup ~

you will need

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 of a medium-to-large onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp of dried herbs (I'll talk more on this later)

2 cups broth/stock (I often freeze bags of homemade veggie stock, but today I emptied a left-over carton of beef broth from a stew earlier in the week)

2 14oz cans of tomatos (organic, no added salt/sugar if possible.  These can be diced, stewed, sliced, it matters not)

how to make it

Heat olive oil in a largish stock pot on the stove.  Toss in onions, cook for 3-4 minutes or until beginning to turn translucent, stirring often.  Add garlic, cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add sea salt, brown sugar and dried herbs (I've been using a dried Bouquet Garni mix which includes savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, sage and tarragon.  However, I've also used hearty pinches of basil and oregano alone, and once, chopped up some fresh sage and threw in a bit of rosemary.  Truly, I think you can get away with any combination above, just go light at first and taste along the way), continue cooking and stirring until the onions begin caramelizing and barely crisping at the edges.

Add stock and both cans of tomatos, juices included and stir well.  Allow everything to warm up on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Now, if you're fancy and own an immersion blender, bust that baby out.  If not, puree in batches in a blender before returning to the pot.  Either way, you want smooth, without any hunks of tomato or onion surprising you later.  Once your soup is looking thick and lovely, allow it to simmer for another 5-10 minutes while all the flavors get to know each other.  

Finally, serve it up!

Some crusty bread (hello rosemary-olive oil loaf) would be glorious here or even a homey grilled cheese, but if the cupboards are a bit bare and the grocery store is not on the plans (ehem, as it is here), then slurp it up as is.  And of course, if you can pour it in a handmade bowl and sip from a vintage spoon, all the better.