Warm Up Winter With Creamy Tomato Soup

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the secret to a great tomato soup lies in using great tomatoes. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world, where sugary sweet sun-ripened tomatoes are available all year round. The other day, while waiting out a blustery blizzard, I found myself craving a bowl of bright red tomato soup with that perfect balance of sweet, tart, and savory.

In winter, canned tomatoes make a good alternative because they are picked and canned during summer, giving them a lot more flavor than the watery salmon-hued abominations sold in the produce aisle. The best are the ones from San Marzano, Italy. Picked and canned at the height of summer, they have a wonderful balance between sweetness and tartness with a full-bodied tomato flavor. But be careful, because of the high prices they command, there are impostors that are sold as "San Marzano" when in fact the tomatoes are not from Italy and taste no different from any other canned tomato.

The problem with just using canned tomatoes is that they lack the brightness of a fresh tomato and so your soup will taste like it came from a can. To solve this, I like to add some fresh tomatoes. By mixing them, you're able to cancel out the negatives of both.

Lastly, to add sweetness (and to make up for the watery nature of the fresh tomatoes), I like to add some tomato paste. This is a quick way to boost the flavor without simmering the tomatoes for hours.

To make the soup thick and creamy without adding cream, I borrow a page from the classic Italian tomato porridge Pappa al Pomodoro and add a little bread and a lot of olive oil to the soup. By sautéing the bread with the shallots and garlic, the Maillard reaction creates wonderful toasty caramel notes that balances out the fruity tomatoes and adds a subtle richness.