golden tomato soup
Listen: Summer’s End - Nathaniel Rateliff & Courtney Marie Andrews
I am not a very dedicated, passionate, or knowledgable gardener. My style is to procrastinate until it’s already getting 100 degrees in Utah and then throw a bunch of stuff in, like a game of desert climate roulette. The past three or so years, shockingly, have not yielded much crop but I’ve gone 3/3 with baby golden tomatoes. They grow in big bushes, they’re fragrant and sweet, and their flavor is more exciting and dynamic than cherry or grape varieties. The bite-sized versions are called golden jubilee, but I’ve also enjoyed the larger, meatier sunrays.
Though I find cooking with yellow tomatoes to be absolutely delightful, I also plant some of those beefy red boys so that I can eat tomato sandwiches for a month straight. When people tell me they don’t like tomatoes, I’m convinced they’ve never experienced warm sourdough bread with Irish butter, a thicccc velvety slab of beefsteak, and kosher salt/pepper. If you’ve tried that and still don’t appreciate the tuh-mate, that’s a you problem.
When I inevitably have SEVERAL BUSHELS worth of these prize lil gems, my big enamelware pot starts calling my name and I know it’s sp00p time. Every early autumn, I read about 50 recipes for tomato soup and then have imposter syndrome for a while before remembering that my own made-up-in-my-mind recipe is really good. I’m going to share it with you a base recipe and a few variations because it’s more fun to choose your own adventure based on your taste preferences and/or what ingredients are available to you.
Golden Tomato Soup
serves 4
BASE INGREDIENTS:
-Enough tomatoes to cover a sheet pan*
-One onion, quartered
-As much garlic as you’d like, I leave mine whole but you could also thinly slice or mince
-Olive oil
-Kosher salt
-Pepper
*Any tomato will do, but I highly recommend fresh if possible. I tested red beefsteak and golden varieties here. If they’re small, leave them whole. If they’re big boys, cut them in quarters.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. I do not recommend aluminum foil or a bare pan because everything will stick!
Arrange tomatoes with onions & garlic and toss with a glug of oil and s/p.
Roast for 20 minutes, check tomatoes and agitate slightly. Roast for 20 more minutes, or until tomatoes are bubbling and started to crack open. Pull out of oven and cool slightly.
Dump mixture in a blender or food processor (or get your immersion blender ready if you have one!) then proceed below.
REMIX:
You’ve got your base, which will taste great if you blend and serve as is. However, adding a few extras will give the soup depth and extra flaves.
For creaminess:
-Add 1/4 cup crème fraîche, heavy cream, or thick, plant-based option such as Tofutti
For spiciness:
-Add a dash of cayenne, Aleppo pepper, white pepper, or paprika
For a less thick soup:
-Add broth of choice little by little until desired consistency is reached
Herbs, baby:
-Add a handful of whatever you fancy. A few of my favorites are tarragon, chives, or a spicier basil such as purple basil.
BLEND AND SERVE. ADMIRE THE COLOR. FEEL WARM IN YOUR HEART.
My variations show above:
Sunrays, cayenne, crème fraîche, tarragon
Sunrays, heavy cream, Aleppo pepper, chives
Golden jubilees, crème fraîche, extra black pepper, dill