For National Homemade Soup Week celebrity chef and cookbook author Alex Hitz shares his recipe for The Best Tomato Soup in the World. In this own words…”There are so many good tomato soups in the world, that I wouldn’t include a recipe for one unless it was a true standout. It requires no technique whatsoever, and you must use the best quality canned tomatoes. Fresh ones would take you days for the same result. This recipe is amazing, and if you can turn on your stove, you can do it. It does require a small bit of patience, however, as the ingredients must simmer until a full 25% reduction takes place to concentrate the flavors, but just go do something else in the mean time…”
It’s a classic: full flavored, unique, rich, and delicious. The surprise addition of strong coffee is an inspiration from an old Italian cookbook, cited as the “secret ingredient” that Italians have understood for years.
Yield: 8 cups, 2 quarts, or 6-8 servings
- 3 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
- 1 ½ large onions, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ bay leaves
- 1 ¾ cups beef stock
- 1 ¾ cups chicken stock
- 2 parsley sprigs, whole
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 ½ tablespoons double-strength tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons very strong coffee
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/8 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large stock pot over a high heat, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaves, beef stock, chicken stock, parsley sprigs, thyme, tomato paste, and very strong coffee. Bring them to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer the soup for approximately one hour until ingredients have reduced in volume by at least 25%. Remove the stock pot from the heat.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree the soup until it’s smooth. This may need to be done in batches.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pureed batches and stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and black pepper. Cover the soup and store in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time to serve, reheat the soup in a stock pot over a medium heat until it’s hot throughout but not boiling. Serve immediately.
