A bowl of this luscious tomato soup with some grilled garlic bread will give you all the warm fuzzy feelings inside. Undoubtedly an ultimate comfort food, tomato soup has come a long way from being a mere nursery food. From being a complete meal in itself to being an excellent first course in dinner parties, it has proven its versatility since a long time now. My version here is an updated one in that I add orzo pasta to the soup, making it a fairly substantial meal. I believe the starch from the pasta adds to the creaminess of the soup as well. This is an updated but easy version; it is hardly any trouble to make. All it needs is canned tomatoes , some aromatic vegetables and heavy cream. The crusty grilled bread is the perfect companion to the creamy soup. I like to smear the bread with some raw garlic as soon as it comes off the grill pan. A rainy day, a good book, a bowl of this soup, and I am in my happy place!
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | ⅓ cup olive oil |
| 1 cup diced onions |
| 1 cup diced carrots |
| 4 cloves of garlic, 3 of them minced |
| 1 bay leaf |
| One 28 ounce San Marzano whole canned tomatoes |
| 1 tablespoon kosher salt for the soup |
| 1 teaspoon salt to cook the orzo |
| 1 teaspoon pepper |
| ½ cup heavy cream |
| 1 cup orzo pasta |
| A loaf of country french bread |
Directions
| Tomato Soup | |
|---|---|
| Heat olive oil in a pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add the bay leaf |
| Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes |
| Add carrots, minced garlic and cook for about two minutes |
| Add the tomatoes and two cups of hot water |
| Add salt and pepper |
| Let the soup simmer on medium low heat for about 15 minutes |
| Turn off the heat |
| With an immersion blender, blend the soup until all the vegetable chunks are roughly pureed |
| Cook the orzo in a separate pot of salted boiling water for about 7 minutes |
| Drain the orzo and add it to the soup |
| Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer |
| Cook the soup for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently |
| Grilled Garlic Bread | |
|---|---|
| Slice the bread |
| Brush both sides of the slices of bread with olive oil |
| Heat a grill pan |
| Lay 3 or 4 slices of bread on the pan |
| Gently press the bread against the pan so that they get the nice grill marks and grill on both sides. Grill as many slices as you need |
| Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the garlic on the warm grilled bread |
Ladle the hot soup in individual bowls. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves and cream if desired. Serve it alongside the grilled garlic bread.
Inspiration: Rainy days