Summer is winding down, and if you are like me you have a lot of small, less than perfect tomatoes on the older vines this time of year. Here is a recipe that makes use of them. You can use any type of tomato you like, or a combination. I find this recipe helpful when I have a bumper crops of cherry tomatoes, also. You can simply dump cherry tomatoes into a food processor and chop them for the soup. Larger tomatoes need to be cored. Also, of course, cut out any damaged areas. The flavor of this recipe is reminiscent of the famous commercial brand, only better!
Note: I like Better Than Bullion brand of chicken broth concentrate. Or use homemade broth instead of the water.
Homemade Tomato Soup
2 pounds tomatoes, cored if needed and coarsely chopped, about 4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped, about 1/2 cup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken broth concentrate
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat to maintain a slow simmer and cook, stirring now and then, for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool 20 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and pulse to puree. Do not completely liquefy the ingredients. Strain the soup through a sieve, pressing hard on the solids to extract all of their flavor before discarding them. Reheat the soup over low heat, taste carefully, and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot.
