On that cold and rainy day in California last week, my mom was in the mood for soup. After searching through some magazines and cookbooks, I came across this recipe.
Since mom had some tomato puree in her freezer, the remnant of a bumper crop, I wanted to whip up something that would highlight tomatoes. This did the trick, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it.
Tomato and Potato Soup with Sage
serves six
2 red onions
2 tb olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 lb Yukon gold potatoes
10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 1/2 cups tomato puree (or 1 28 oz can)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, including liquid
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
2 tb chopped fresh sage leaves ( or 1 tb crumbled dry sage)
1 tsp fresh thyme
small pinch of diced fresh or dried rosemary
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
freshly ground pepper
Peel and halve onions and slice them thinly crosswise. Heat 2 tb olive oil in a saute pan and saute onions with pinch of salt, stirring often on medium heart until they are soft and browned, about 30 minutes.
Scrub and trim potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch dice. In a large soup pot, combine potatoes and whole garlic cloves with just enough water to cover and a pinch of salt. Simmer potatoes and garlic for about ten minutes.
Add the onions, tomato puree and diced tomatoes to the stockpot. Add vegetable broth, wine and all the herbs, and simmer for about thirty minutes. Taste the soup for correct seasoning with more salt and pepper. Drizzle additional olive oil on each serving, if desired.
For my family, I cooked 1 lb of crumbled Italian Sausage and put it in the soup at the same time I added the broth. Try it both ways 🙂
