celery – Goboroot.com

As I planted garlic cloves for next year’s harvest in the chilly weather today, my hands were cold even though it was a clear sunny day after many days of rain. All I thought of is how I was going to make the garlicky creamy roasted tomato soup that warms me up inside out.

Some of my heirloom tomatoes and red bell peppers from this summer have remained sitting on a kitchen counter to ripen. This recipe is a nice way to clean up my kitchen and create some room for imminent winter vegetables.

Garlicky Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

I always eyeball the amount of ingredients for this recipe. When I have too many tomatoes screaming to be used, the soup gets thicker. So feel free to adjust to your desired consistency using fewer tomatoes. The result is always delicious as long as you stay patient and carefully roast and semi-caramelize the vegetables.

Yields about 2.5 L

2 kg heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1 inch pieces

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 onions, sliced into ½ inch pieces

10 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly sliced

1 tablespoon cane sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch pieces

1½ L chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 cup heavy cream, warm

Garnish

Parmesan cheese, freshly ground

Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Place the tomatoes and red bell peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the onions and garlic on top. Sprinkle over the vegetables with the sugar, salt, and black pepper, and then drizzle with the olive oil, coating all the onions and tomatoes as much as possible. Roast until the tomatoes and onions are lightly charred, about 30 minutes.

Baste the liquid over the vegetables and roast for another 10 minutes.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter and sauté the celery over medium high heat.

Add the roasted tomatoes and the liquid to the pot, and bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim constantly.

Puree the soup in a blender or Vitamix, and return it to the pot. Add the warmed cream and simmer further to reach the desired consistency.

Adjust with salt and pepper and serve immediately with crusty bread. Garnish with the cheese and parsley.

This is a big pot of soup for a cold rainy afternoon, which can literally occur anytime here in the Vancouver area at this time of year! You can serve this hearty soup for your guests or simply cook for two and take a day or two off from cooking over the next couple of days. The longer it cooks, the better the flavour gets so it is perfect for rainy afternoons when you can spare time for a cozy homemade meal to replenish your soul.

Some baby celery leaves from the previous year’s plant that I started from seeds have survived the freezing temperatures, and have now started to show the signs of spring! I like this soup slightly creamy but not too much. When I use heavy cream, I might omit sour cream or vice versa. It totally depends on your liking; feel free to adjust.

Roasted Beet Borscht Soup

Serves 6-8

1 pound beets

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3/4 cup potatoes, diced

8 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 cups cabbage, shredded

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon or so salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Sour cream, for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (I use whatever green leaves are available in my garden such as cilantro or chives)

Scrub the beets and remove the leaves, leaving a 1 inch stub from the top. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and seal the foil tight, then roast until they are tender when tested. Large beets may take an hour or so. Set aside and let cool

In the meantime, chop the vegetables, and heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat to melt the butter. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes until softened and starting to colour, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the stove top to medium-low heat and skim off the foam that floats on top. Add diced tomatoes, bring to a boil and repeat the process to remove unwanted foam on the surface of the soup. Remove the skins from the beets, chop into cubes and add to the soup. Let simmer over medium-low heat for an hour with a lid, stirring occasionally.

This is the time to serve yourself a glass of wine if you haven’t yet. Take a break for a while.

The last thing to do is to shred the cabbage and add it to the soup after simmering for 1 hour. Then, let simmer for another 20 minutes. Add cream and adjust the taste with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve in bowls, garnished with sour cream and dill.