Hearty tomato soup made from pantry staples.

Hearty Tomato Soup

Serves 4

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a classic American meal that I think we’ve all eaten at least once in our lives. I particularly like a grilled cheese made of thinly sliced Granny Smith apple with a mix of cheddar and pepper jack to dip into my tomato soup. This particular soup is reminiscent of the one I grew up eating. The soup brand my mom preferred for all of our premade soup was Progresso and not the more common Campbell’s. Because of this, our tomato soup tended to have lots more texture from chunks of vegetables compared to the smooth soup from Cambell’s. While both are equally delicious, this is my take on what I grew up with. The final soup is full of tender onion and shiitake mushrooms with a strong tomato flavor amplified by a few unexpected ingredients.

Ingredients

20g (4 medium) dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

1000ml (5 c) water

Soup Base

2 T olive oil

600g (2 large) onion, medium dice

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 cheongyang or serrano chili, minced

*908g (2 lbs) fresh tomatoes, diced

1 T gochujang

2 T soy sauce

2 T soju

2 T doenjang

1 T honey

2 t Worchestershire

1 t ground black pepper

1 t garlic powder

0.50 t onion powder

0.50 t dried thyme, crushed

0.25 t dried rosemary, crushed

1 bay leaf

Finishing

*300g (2 medium) tomatoes, diced

7g (2 in piece) dashima

1.5 t fish sauce

Reserved shiitake mushrooms

Recipe Know-how

Recipe know-how

1.      In a medium pot bring the shiitakes and water to a boil.

• Boil for 1 minute then cover and allow to steep for 1 hour.

2.      In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high.

• Add the onions, garlic and chili. Cook for 5 minutes.

• Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes.

• Cook stirring frequently for 15 minutes.

If the pot begins to burn, reduce the heat to medium-high and increase the cook time to 20 minutes.

• Add the gochujang and cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until it begins to caramelize.

• Deglaze with the soy sauce cooking for 1 minute further.

• Add the soju and cook 1 minute longer.

• Add the remaining soup base ingredients and shiitake soaking liquid.

Reserve and chop the shiitake mushrooms.

• Bring to a boil covered.

• Reduce to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes.

• Add the finishing ingredients and return to a simmer. Cook for 35 minutes longer.

• Remove and discard the bay and dashima.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

3.      Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.