Creamy Tomato Soup

Raw isn’t always better. The potency and absorption of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables can be affected by cooking, especially in tomatoes.

Without fail, tomatoes make the annual shortlist for planting out my 8′ x 8′ raised garden plot because we love to eat them fresh, sweet and juicy, straight from the vine. However the simplicity of using carton or canned tomatoes in cooking has advantages.

This week we share our love of tomatoes and a recipe which improves the potency of the antioxidant lycopene through cooking. Lycopene plays an important role in men’s prostate health, according to the National Geographic Nature’s Best Remedies publication.

Slow cooking tomatoes for a long time concentrates the sugars, even in a slow cooker where evaporation is minimal. Using San Marzano tomatoes and tomato paste results in a richly flavored soup. Adding a measure of dairy (half and half, milk or even greek yoghurt) before serving gives this thick, ample soup a light creamy finish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 6-8 hours LOW or 3 hours HIGH Servings: 6 – 8

Ingredients

2 cups / 1 large onion, large dice

1 ½ cups / 2 large carrots, large dice

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp basil, dried

2 large cans of chopped tomatoes (San Marzano are a good brand)

1 x 8oz can of tomato paste

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup half and half or milk

Put all the ingredients into your slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours or HIGH for 3 hours.

Once cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Stir in the half and half, milk or greek yoghurt.

Serve with parmesan croutons or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Zen Moment

“A world devoid of tomato soup, tomato sauce, tomato ketchup and tomato paste is hard to visualize. Could the tin and processed food industries have got where they have without the benefit of the tomato compounds which colour, flavour, thicken and conceal so many deficiencies? How did the Italians eat spaghetti before the advent of the tomato? Was there such a thing as tomato-less Neapolitan pizza?”
– Elizabeth David (1913-1992)
‘An Omelette and a Glass of Wine’, 1984