Feisty Sun-dried Tomato Soup
Yesterday I found a must make recipe for Sun-dried Tomato Soup on one of my favorite blogs, One Perfect Bite. Mary's blog is full of wonderful recipes, tempting photos, and entertaining commentary - if you haven't yet stumbled upon it, I recommend you visit soon.
But I digress. This soup began as a recipe Mary's husband had clipped from Food and Wine magazine. He couldn't wait to try the recipe, and neither could I, but I had to make a few adjustments based on the ingredients I had in my pantry. 1) I didn't have any fresh thyme, only dried, and 2) instead of a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, I only had a 10 oz can of mild Ro-Tel tomatoes. Not wanting to take time to run to the store, I used what I had on hand and adjusted the amount of tomato paste and chicken stock the recipe called for. I'm so pleased with the results that I doubt I'll ever make the original recipe. If you like the flavors of the southwest and don't mind a little heat, this is the soup for you - Eeehaaa!
Feisty Sun-Dried Tomato Soup
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (use kitchen shears)
10 oz can mild Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained but juices reserved
20 oz chicken broth
2 thyme sprigs (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons concentrated sun-dried tomato paste (or canned tomato paste)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
Saute onions and garlic in butter and olive oil, over med-high heat, for 4 minutes.
Add sun-dried tomatoes, drained Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato paste, and thyme; cook for several minutes; stirring frequently.
Add reserved tomato juice and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes.
Transfer small batches of soup to a blender and puree.
Return to pot and warm over low heat.
Stir in heavy cream and check seasoning.
Add more chicken stock if you like your soup thinner.
recipe inspired by One Perfect Bite