All-day tomato soup

Things have been quiet here at Hands-Free Cooking recently, but it’s not for lack of cooking going on.  I’ve actually been busy in the kitchen, but Thanksgiving and other non-blogging activities have made it hard to find time to post.  Hence, I have a backlog of things I want to write about, and I’ll be working my way through them over the next few days.

First up is tomato soup, which is among the great winter comfort foods.  Though fresh tomatoes are in short supply, this recipe is just great with canned tomatoes.  Furthermore, it’s easy, and so much better than canned tomato soup that you’ll want to eat it every day.

I made this in my slow cooker, and if you have one, I highly recommend it.  It benefits a lot from a long cooking time, and it really is very quick to assemble in the morning – 15 minutes or less to throw it together, plus another 5-10 to finish it when you get home.  If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can basically follow the same directions and let it simmer on the stove for 30 minutes or so.  One benefit of the slow cooker is the comfort food factor – it’s a great feeling to come home at the end of a long, cold day and have your house smell of just-made soup.

There are many ways to serve tomato soup, of course.  Having a grilled cheese on the side is classic.  We served it over Israeli couscous, which is a small, round pasta that looks like a bigger version of normal couscous.  You could use just about any small pasta in its place.

Tomato Soup – serves 3-4

• Turn slow cooker on high.  Pour a little olive oil  and about a teaspoon of crushed or mince garlic in the bottom.  Let it cook a few minutes while you do other things, like shower or get ready for work.
• Turn the cooker down to low.  Add:
  • 1-lb can of diced tomatoes
  • 2-3 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tb sugar or brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup of white wine, if desired
• Cover and let cook on low for 8 hours or more.  When you’re ready to eat:
• Puree the soup.  You can use a stick blender (also called an immersion blender, a fantastically convenient device for soup-making because it requires no hazardous pouring of hot soup) or a regular blender – be careful of splashing!
• When the soup is smooth, stir in a cup of milk, or more if desired.