Tomato Soup with Lemon and Herbes de Provence


One cold winter day in 2007 I came home from work late morning, displaying all the symptoms of approaching upper respiratory ailment. I intended to make chicken soup and take a nap.

I didn't make chicken soup at all. Instead I made a very tomato-y soup with a dash of orange rind and lots of thyme. It was inspired by a similar recipe at Epicurious, adapted to my taste buds and to the ingredients I had on hand.

Tomato Soup 
  • 4 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock
  • 1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes
  • 1 large celery rib, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 strips of fresh orange zest, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • dash red pepper flakes
  • one bay leaf
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • additional water as needed
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • dash or two herbes de Provence to taste

Options: Rice, chicken, a dash of fennel seeds. The original recipe calls for saffron, but I had none.

Cook onions, celery, garlic, orange zest and pepper flakes in olive oil for about five minutes in a stock pot. Add soup stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaf. Bring to a low boil, then simmer uncovered. Taste frequently and add water as needed. You may need to add some sugar at this point. After about a 40 minutes, remove bay leaf and add parsley and herbes de Provence.

I also tossed in some leftover cherry tomatoes, chopping them to a paste first.

This soup tastes as though it would cure a cold. Really.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks delicious! I hope it did the trick and you are feeling better now.

Love your lighting in your photos!
Another beautiful photo! I love the taste combination of tomatoes and orange. Some fresh fennel bulb would be lovely in this, too, wouldn't it?
Anonymous said…
I agree with Kristen and Lydia. As always, your photos are fantastic. This soup sounds grand and I've already vowed that the next couple of weeks are going to be lots of soups and braises. So -- on tap tonight? Mimi's Tomato Soup! Everything is in my pantry.
Unknown said…
The lighting is the best I can muster in my kitchen, but you know what? I like it, too. I think I'll keep it.

In the summer, I was taking all photos on the deck. It was a real pain to rush outside with something hot and then shoot it quickly before it got cold.

You might want to try the original recipe, Lu, which does not use a can of stewed tomatoes, but requires — more or less — that you make your own.
Jann said…
This soup should have done the trick getting rid of that little bug-it is lovely! My mouth is watering!
Unknown said…
It really was pretty darned good. And packed with Vitamin C.
Anonymous said…
Mimi, I have some turkey stock in my freezer, this soup will be perfect to use that up for! It sounds delicious and easy too.
Unknown said…
It was sooo good. I think this one is going to replace chicken noodle as my "sick-day" soup. It feels like it could cure a cold.
Farmgirl Cyn said…
I am thinking it will be tomato soup tomorrow!!! With some nice homemade wheat rolls? Yup...that'll do it! A perfect Friday evening supper.
Unknown said…
Can I come to your house, Cyn?

I would love to make homemade wheat rolls!

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