Tomato soup

I haven’t bought a tin of soup in years, but if I were to buy one it would definitely be Campbell’s tomato soup.

Their cream of mushroom soup always had disturbing starchy lumps, the veggies in their minestrone were weirdly tough, but everything about their tomato soup was just right.

This straightforward tomato soup is a pretty close approximation. I like to make it with passata (sieved tomatoes) for extra smoothness, but tinned tomatoes work fine too.

Tomato soup
(serves 4)

• 1 Tb butter
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 Tb plain flour
• 680g bottle of passata (or 2x 400g tins  chopped tomatoes)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp sugar
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• salt and pepper

1. In a heavy saucepan over a low flame, melt the butter with the olive oil.
2. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onion, and stir until fully incorporated.
4. Stir in the passata, thyme, sugar, milk and baking soda.
5. Bring to a simmer, then let it cook for about ten minutes, until slightly thickened.
6. Remove from the heat and season to taste. (If you’ve used chopped tomatoes instead of passata, purée the soup with a blender stick before serving.)

Tags: passata, tinned tomatoes, vegetarian