Fresh Tomato Soup

Fresh Tomato Soup

1/4 c. olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 medium organic carrots, chopped (no need to peel)
2 organic celery stalks
5 cloves of garlic, quartered
3 strips of fresh organic orange peel
9 cups of chopped tomatoes (measure frozen tomatoes when they are thawed)
1 cup chicken broth
1 TBL. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
1-2 tsp. sugar (to cut the acidity)
1/2-1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper


Heat oil in a large stainless steel soup kettle over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and orange peel.  Cook until onions are limp.  Add your tomatoes, skin and all, broth, thyme, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove the bay leaf AND the orange peel.  (I accidently left the orange peel in when I did a batch this fall. ....a little overwhelming taste in the finished soup.)  Let it cool for a bit and then run it all through your sauce maker, this removes the skins and seeds for a smoother soup.  The brand name of my sauce maker is "Sauce Master", and it works real good.  If you don't have one, think about picking one up.
We will be using it constantly in August :-)  they cost about $40.00, and are by the canning supplies.   Eat the soup fresh or ladle into freezer containers and freeze.  I usually make a double batch,  as long as I'm going through the hassle anyway.

Grilled cheese sandwich and fresh tomato soup........sounds like a winter lunch to me.


Fresh Tomato Soup