Brrrrr! It's been so chilly lately that I've really needed warm soups to keep me going. I had not made my tomato soup in a long time, but it's one of my favorite classics. Inspired by the saffron croutons in my recent Pumpkin soup recipe, I tried them again with this tomato soup and found the saffron mingled wonderfully with the tomato.
soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sized onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans of diced tomatoes in their juice
1 teaspoon of thyme
2 tablespoons minced basil
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup cream
croutons:
120 mg. saffron threads
1/2 loaf stale bread, cut into cubes
Sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to a low boil, then add cream.
Purée the soup with an insertion blender. Add a little more broth or cream if necessary to get the soup to the right thickness and consistency.
For the croutons, put the saffron in a small bowl with 1 3/4 fluid oz. (50 ml.) warm water, and let soak for 10 minutes. Lightly dip the bread cubes into the saffron water. Heat a dry, non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add the croutons and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until crisp.
Serve the soup hot, in a beautiful bowl, with croutons on top.
#lifestyleceramics #beautytexturewhimsy #simplepleasures #maiamingdesigns