Smooth & Creamy Tomato Soup

I got this one from a friend who has written a book that includes a lot of recipes. She asked me to test out several dishes and give her feedback. She's in luck, because this one got a favorable rating from the entire family! My 4-year-old made a yummy noise that the girls have adopted (it sounds more-or-less like slurping) and said, "Delicious!" My toddler was practically licking the bowl by the end of the meal. (He also had a large amount of soup in his hair, so maybe licking it isn't saying much.) I served it with some crusty bread and fresh fruit, and we will definitely repeat this dinner.

Of this soup, my friend says, "It turns a beautiful dark orange color, so it doesn’t look like its store-bought counterpart, but it’s absolutely delicious." We agree. Smooth & Creamy Tomato Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 cups fresh or canned (drained) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. garlic
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups milk

Heat oil and melt butter in a soup pot on medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and sauté until soft. Add soda, stir until the mixture turns yellow and lets off a distinctive smell. Immediately add tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. At this point, you want the mixture to be thick with little liquid. If it’s still thin, turn up the heat and boil off some of the liquid. Pour into a blender and puree, or use that handy immersion blender.* Pour soup back into pot and add milk. Heat, stirring until thickened.

*At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze, and then just take it out, (thaw, if necessary), add the milk, and re-heat. You can also add more or less milk to your own taste.

Summer Soup

This one comes from Favourite Farmhouse Recipes: Traditional Country Fare, a small cookbook I picked up when we lived in England a few years ago. This can certainly be eaten during any season, but it uses up some of the plentiful green things that come from summer gardens. I've adjusted the measurements in the original recipe from British to American.

Two of my three children, including the toddler, really liked this for dinner last night. My oldest asked if I would make it again tonight. She'll have to settle for the leftovers, I suppose.

Summer Soup
2 T. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6-8 pieces of bacon, chopped
½ cucumber, peeled and cubed
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 head of green leaf lettuce, cleaned and shredded
1/3 cup + 1 T. flour
salt & pepper
Pinch of mixed herbs
1 ½ cups chicken or ham stock
1 ½ cups milk

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add bacon and cook until nearly crisp. Add the onion, cucumber and potato. Slowly sauté until onion is soft. Add the lettuce; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and salt & pepper and mix well. Add the herbs and stock. When it thickens, add the milk and simmer gently until the potato is cooked. Put in a blender and process until smooth, then return to the pan; or use an immersion blender. Heat through and serve.