{"id":19219,"date":"2013-09-23T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2013-09-23T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=19219"},"modified":"2013-09-15T08:50:15","modified_gmt":"2013-09-15T14:50:15","slug":"rich-wants-to-know-how-i-make-cream-of-tomato-soup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/rich-wants-to-know-how-i-make-cream-of-tomato-soup\/","title":{"rendered":"Rich Wants to Know How I Make Cream of Tomato Soup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>I am<\/strong> a lazy cook and a picky eater, Rich. When I&#8217;m hungry I want to eat NOW and I want what I want. This makes my aversion to processed \u00a0and pre-packaged foods particularly inconvenient. Most of the time, I don&#8217;t like how they taste or how I feel after eating them. It feels like a curse sometimes. On the other hand, God seems to have balanced this out by giving me a desire to grow things in the garden. So, one day, I figured out how to make really easy tomato soup. I&#8217;m pretty sure you want to know how I did it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My basic<\/strong> approach to preserving food is much like my basic approach to buying groceries. Have the simplest forms of the ingredients on hand. This allows for more flexibility in meal preparation. If done correctly, it also let&#8217;s me prepare many meals the easiest way possible. With a willingness to experiment some, I have found that food doesn&#8217;t have to be as complicated as I was lead to believe by the abundance of labor intensive recipes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For<\/strong> my home made cream of tomato soup, I recently started with having these ingredients on hand:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">3 quarts pureed, home canned tomatoes<\/span> <em>(a mix of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/its-time-to-compare-stupice-tomatoes-to-heinz-tomatoes-in-my-southwest-idaho-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\">Stupice and Heinz tomatoes<\/a><\/span> this time around; see reflections below for substitute store bought tomato sauce)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">1 cup water<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #993300;\">2 Tablespoons chicken base<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">3 scant Tablespoons <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/dehydrate-onions-for-fun-and-easy-winter-eating\/\" target=\"_blank\">dehydrated onion pieces<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000;\">1 Tablespoon freshly dried lemon basil <em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(post coming 9\/25\/2013)<\/span><\/em><\/span>, crushed as it is put into the soup<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #666699;\">1 teaspoon celery seed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ffcc00;\">granulated sugar<\/span>, to be added at individual&#8217;s discretion<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">hot paper lantern pepper<\/span>, diced, for the husband with the fire brick stomach<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ffcc00;\">cream<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>In view<\/strong> of my confessions in the first paragraph, it is a little surprising that I took time for the first step. Maybe it&#8217;s because I know I don&#8217;t have to. Most of the time when I use my tomatoes, I just dump the whole jar in. I don&#8217;t think twice about the seeds and skins while eating because I don&#8217;t notice them. I&#8217;m sure I am getting good vitamins from them, too. However, while I have prepared tomato soup with this principle in the past, I prefer my cream of tomato soup to be fairly smooth. Thus, I often<\/p>\n<p>1) put the pureed tomatoes through a hand crank food mill.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19250\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19250\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-food-mill.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19250\" title=\"Here a basic food mill is being used to separate the tomato skins and seeds from the liquid; there is a bit more turning and back turning to do.\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-food-mill-300x207.jpg\" alt=\"Here a basic food mill is being used to separate the tomato skins and seeds from the liquid; there is a bit more turning and back turning to do.\" width=\"300\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-food-mill-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-food-mill-1024x709.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here a basic food mill is being used to separate the tomato skins and seeds from the liquid; there is a bit more turning and back turning to do.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After this was completed <em>(and the remains added to the compost for the chickens)<\/em>, I &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>2) added the chicken base, water, dried onion, celery seed, and basil.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19252\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19252\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-simmering.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19252\" title=\"Basic home made tomato soup before optional additives -\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-simmering-300x118.jpg\" alt=\"Basic home made tomato soup before optional additives -\" width=\"300\" height=\"118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-simmering-300x118.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-simmering-1024x405.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19252\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basic home made tomato soup before optional additives &#8211;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I heated it all until it was just simmering bubbles around the edge of the pot. If it gets too hot <em>(i.e. boiling)<\/em>, it curdles the cream when I add it. Please note that my home canned tomatoes already have <span style=\"color: #800080;\">1 teaspoon of sea salt<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #993300;\">2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar<\/span> added to each quart.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19254\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19254\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-with-cream.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19254\" title=\"Easy cream of tomato soup is made perfect with a touch of sugar.\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-with-cream-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Easy cream of tomato soup is made perfect with a touch of sugar.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-with-cream-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-with-cream-1024x770.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Easy cream of tomato soup is made perfect with a touch of sugar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now all that was needed was to put my ration in a large mug. The one I chose held about 2 cups of soup. To this was<\/p>\n<p>3) added \u00bc cup cream, and<\/p>\n<p>4) 1.5 teaspoons sugar (at husband&#8217;s suggestion)<\/p>\n<p>Husband also put in<\/p>\n<p>5) about a teaspoon of finely chopped hot paper lantern pepper, freshly picked<\/p>\n<p>This is only for the fearless.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here are<\/strong> some thoughts upon reflection of my cream of tomato soup:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The soup was fabulous, until I got down to where the onion bits had settled and accidentally took a mouthful. They were not strong (really quite sweet), but I wasn&#8217;t expecting them and they were not what I was hoping for in my last bite! In retrospect, I would use a mortar and pestal or possibly the coffee grinder on the dried onion to make onion powder. Husband grinds all manner of things in the coffee grinder, so I would not be committing any heinous crime. I could also saute&#8217; some fresh onions, then put them through the blender with a little of the tomato liquid. I might also just think about putting the dried onion bits in warm water to soak right before I begin milling the tomatoes, then run the softened onions through the blender with some of the water or tomato liquid.<\/li>\n<li>I was going dig a couple of carrots to put in the soup, but a thunder and hail storm hit right as I was starting, so I skipped it. If I do it next time, I will probably treat them like the fresh onions, in an effort to keep my soup smooth.<\/li>\n<li>When my mom makes her home made tomato soup, she likes to use Hunt&#8217;s tomato sauce. It seems to have less additives than other brands.<\/li>\n<li>This recipe for <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.formerchef.com\/2009\/08\/02\/how-to-make-fresh-tomato-soup\/\" target=\"_blank\">completely fresh tomato soup from Former Chef<\/a><\/span> is a good reference.<\/li>\n<li>I might add a touch of ground black pepper next time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>This particular<\/strong> batch made enough to feed 4 people, with soup being the main part of the meal. There were about 3 smaller servings left over for the next day. Everyone was core heated, even if they didn&#8217;t have hot peppers in theirs, so I expect this to be a regular meal until I run out of home canned tomatoes!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19258\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-left-overs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19258\" title=\"It is always good to know there are left overs available after a yummy meal.\" src=\"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-left-overs-300x178.jpg\" alt=\"It is always good to know there are left overs available after a yummy meal.\" width=\"300\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-left-overs-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/cream-tom-soup-left-overs-1024x609.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It is always good to know there are left overs available after a yummy meal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am a lazy cook and a picky eater, Rich. When I&#8217;m hungry I want to eat NOW and I want what I want. This makes my aversion to processed \u00a0and pre-packaged foods particularly inconvenient. Most of the time, I don&#8217;t like how they taste or how I feel after eating them. It feels like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,3,19],"tags":[47,70,49],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19219"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19219\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}