When I set out these voluptuous tomatoes yesterday afternoon, my one-year-old son literally came running in from the living room. “I want it,” he said pointing at them. The smell of garden-grown tomatoes, like these, in early fall is quite simply intoxicating.
He loved getting to wash and pat the tomatoes dry, taking, of course, one to eat as payment for his labor.
Now that there is a little hint of chill in the air, it’s time to break out your soup pot. This curried tomato soup is lightly spiced and sweet enough for small palates. We served it with mini-grilled cheeses made with multi-grain bread and garnished the soup with steamed green beans. Happy Fall, Mums, Daddios, and Yums!
Curried Cream of Tomato Soup
*5 lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped into inch-sized wedges
*4 T. extra virgin olive oil
*2 T. brown sugar
*salt and pepper, to taste
*2 c. onion, chopped
*1 T. mild curry powder
*1 c. veggie or chicken stock
*a bay leaf
*1 c. milk or cream
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Do this first part with your mini-chef: Take out two rimmed baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. Make sure that you allow for some of the length of the paper to hang over the edges so that you’ll be able to easily work with the tomatoes once they are roasted and steamy hot. Little hands can arrange the tomatoes on the baking sheet with the fleshy parts facing up. Then allow your child to sprinkle the olive oil salt and pepper all over the tomatoes. They are ready to go into the oven for an hour. Set your kitchen timer. Turn the oven light on every once in a while and take a look in so that your mini-chef can chart the tomatoes’ roasting progress.
The adults only part: When the tomatoes have about 10 minutes more roasting time to go, begin to heat up 2 T. olive oil over medium heat in a stockpot or large heavy-bottomed pot. Throw in the onions, stir them into the hot oil, turn down the burner to low, and let them cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Then add the curry powder and cook another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
By now your tomatoes should be roasted and ready to come out of the oven. Take them out and grasp the long side of the parchment to lift the tomatoes off of the baking pan. Pour your tomatoes and all of their roasting juice into the pot. Now add the bay leaf and stock. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Boil for a minute or so, and then turn the heat down to medium and let simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered.
Take off of the heat, and throw away the bay leaf. Using a (hand) immersion blender, puree the soup. Return it to the stove top over med-low heat and stir in the milk or cream.
