Creamy Tomato Soup

I decided to try a soup from Veganomicon, and I picked this one. It was simple to make. The potatoes are supposed to make it creamy, but I found that it was missing a little something at the end, so I added about a cup of light cream. I think that did the trick. For the can of crushed tomatoes, I did use fire-roasted ones, and Toby could tell. He said it tasted kind of “mesquite-like”. I served this with a grilled cheese (how can you not?), and a small green salad. Oh, and I couldn’t find plain sun-dried tomatoes, so I had to use the ones in oil. They worked fine, as far as I am concerned. This soup is a keeper.

Creamy Tomato Soup

(from the cookbook “Veganomicon- the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp dried rosemary (crushed between your fingers)
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
1 lb waxy potatoes (2-4 average potatoes; weigh them to be sure), peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not the kind packed in oil, just honest-to-goodness sun-dried tomatoes)
6 cups water or vegetable broth
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (the fire-roasted are especially worth it here)
juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water (or stock). Cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, you’re in luck! Puree the living hell out of it until it is very smooth. If you don’t have one, just transfer the whole shebang to a food processor or blender, in cooled batches, then transfer back to the pot. Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt if you need to.