Easy Winter Tomato Soup

For years, my tomato soup routine was the same. In the summer, I made a version of tomato soup that I found in Cooking Light years ago. (I meant to post this version when it was tomato season and didn't, so now it will have to wait another few months.) And in the winter, I didn't even try to make my own but relied on Trader Joe's.

Those days have come to an end. Not that I will forgo Trader Joe's tomato soup entirely, but now I have an easy homemade alternative. And it should be no surprise that the source is Deborah Madison, soup genius. This recipe is from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which has been on my shelf for years. Why I never tried this recipe before, I can't say. Maybe I thought it was too simple or basic. I don't know. But now that I've tried it, it's going to be in my repertoire for a long time. It's easy, quick and delicious. And in early March, when one day the sun is out and the next day it's snowy and gray, it's nice to have something both dependable and delicious to rely on.

I hardly tweaked this recipe at all. I did add a carrot to the onion and celery, and I think if you're going to make the soup with water rather than vegetable stock (as I have), the carrot helps give the soup some depth. Otherwise, I followed her instructions pretty closely and was not disappointed.

Cream of Tomato Soup
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled between your fingers
Pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons flour
Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes in puree or juice (or 1 28 ounce can, if that's what's in your pantry)
Pinch of baking soda
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 1/2 cups milk
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Tomato paste if needed

1.Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot (if using), basil, and cloves; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, then add the tomatoes, baking soda, and stock or water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Let cool briefly, then puree in a blender until smooth (or, of course, in the pot with your trusty immersion blender).

2.Return the soup to the pot, add the milk, and season with salt. If the soup is too thick, thin it with additional milk or stock. If the tomato flavor isn't as rich as you'd like (if the tomatoes were packed in water instead of puree), deepen it by stirring in a little tomato paste.

Serve with toasted cheese for a lovely lunch. ((A fancier version of this soup, incorporating souffleed cheese toasts rather than separate bread and cheese, is in Deborah Madison's soup cookbook. I have no doubt that it's also delicious, but I haven't tried it yet.)