Have you ever got up in the morning, looked at someones blog and ended up carrying out something you had no intention of doing that day?
A few days ago, Perpetua, wrote a post called Souperb, extolling the delights of the stockpot. Ten minutes later I was busily making roasted tomato soup. Just proves how quick and easy it is to do. My original recipe came from Sophie Dahl, granddaughter of Roald, however, I am not a precise measurements kind of person - just what I have to hand and it always works out. It is tasty and very nourishing, especially good at this time of year when tomatoes are so cheap, plentiful and sweet.
Chop tomatoes, red onions, a red pepper - not in Sophie's recipe, a couple of fat cloves of garlic and place in roasting dish. Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar, a little sugar, black pepper, small pinch of sea salt flakes, scatter with fresh thyme leaves, complete by drizzling some olive oil over it all.
Roast until turning brown and becoming caramelised.
I have added some vegetable stock to the roasted tomatoes, made from a stock cube and a good squeeze of tomato puree, so the soup is ideal for vegetarians. This slackens and reduces the concentration of the mixture before liquidising.
Top soup with parsley, some parmigiana cheese, and serve with crusty bread.
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I thought that you might like to see my new friend. He has become a regular visitor in the garden. Yesterday he spent 3 hours sitting in the sunshine, today his visit was quicker, just time for a snack on our hedgerow and fruit trees. I call him sooty with his lovely black nose and dark eyes. He has a fine set of antlers growing which you can just make out. Sorry the photo is fuzzy, he was a long way down the front of the garden and I was hiding behind our window.
Rosemary, my taste buds have awoken at the sight of this delicious looking recipe which I shall certainly be trying out this weekend. What a lovely visitor. He compliments the drystone beautifully and a great compliment that he feels comfortable enough to sunbathe within the walls of your tranquil garden.
ReplyDeletePaul, some people object to him going in their gardens, I noticed him chomping away on a neighbours Japanese Anemones the other day. However, I am happy for him to graze on our hedges, it saves us having to cut them!!! I love looking out of the window and seeing him enjoying the sun on his face, he is very handsome.
DeleteHope you enjoy the soup - I made mine with some homegrown tomatoes supplemented by some luscious ones from Lidl of all places. They had vine tomatoes for sale at 99p per kilo!!!
Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly the kind of dish which makes me want to chop, stir, and stand by the stove sniffing! I love roasted vegetables and I very much like cooking with tomatoes.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Stephanie
Dear Stephanie - it is an all time favourite with children. I am sure you can get lovely sweet tomatoes in France quite cheaply at the moment. Did you know that tomatoes are supposed to be good for the brain?
DeleteI appreciate your visit and lovely comment - thank you.
Looks yummy and easy to make, shall try it out. Western soup is so unlike Oriental soup which is usually clear and stock-based. Both are equally delicious in their own ways.
ReplyDeleteAt this time of year I find it very useful to have a pot of homemade soup. Easy, nourishing and a ready meal when time is short. I think that soup is a favourite with most people.
DeleteHello Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteWe are very fond of tomato soup here! I must admit that I make mine with canned tomatoes but I really want to try your way!
Here in Norway we eat it with a couple of boiled eggs inside.
Your new friend is the sweetest : )
Sooty is sweet, he has such a cute little face and looks almost like a Disney character.
DeleteSome boiled eggs sounds a good idea, and would make even more of a meal out of the tomato soup - thanks for the tip.
Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a delicious soup!
Thanks for sharing the recipe, I'll sure have to try this one.
What a beautiful visitor you have in your garden.
Wish you a wonderful weekend.
Mette
Thanks Mette - he is a little beauty.
DeleteEnjoy the soup, you can always add a little chilli as well if you like it spicier.
Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteMy recipe today is mixed vegetable soup.. all organic veggies from the village..
Its turned cold here and soup time has come around again.
I love this recipe that you have shared.. It looks so easy to do.. this will be my next soup.
Did you skin the tomatoes!
I can smell it from here.
I see you wrote a reply to Stephanie.. tomatoes are good for the brain. The medical profession say they also help fighting against cancer. I love tomatoes.
I bought a little packet back with me to plant from Spain. I mean! tomatoes are tomatoes.. but I am calling mine spanish tomatoes.. never planted them before.
How sweet Sooty is. I hope he comes back. You are so lucky to be able to have a deer in your garden.
val
Dear Val - no skinning, just wash them and chop. I believe in keeping things simply and quick. All of the skin and seeds just vanish when liquidised.
DeleteI hope that you are successful with your tomato seeds. There is nothing better than going out into the garden and picking fresh tomatoes - lovely.
I think Sooty is living around here, I see him so often. He finds lots of easy pickings in our garden and looks to be a very healthy specimen.
Rosemary, the soup looks lovely. I hardly measure or follow a recipe to the letter either. Your deer is sweet. Is he eating flowers? Olive
ReplyDeleteDear Olive - I cannot be bothered with weighing and measuring either, and everything normally works out OK, I think instinct comes in to play when cooking.
DeleteSooty doesn't eat our flowers, just the hedge and the fruit trees. However, he does have a chomp at the neighbours flowers which she is not very happy about.
Dear Rosemary - I just visited the Columnist's blog, which has a posting on the symbolism of deer. Perhaps Sooty is gifting you with intuition . . .
ReplyDeleteIntuition is a good gift to receive - when he was sitting in the garden I was reminded of a Coat of Arms insignia, his head was held proudly, and he looked so relaxed, it was as if he owned the place!!!
DeleteHello Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post-- both the soup and Sooty are irresistable. It seems just the right time to have things roasting fragrantly in the oven--the best perfume for a happy home... I love to share my garden with "the locals" as well-- I think they more than repay their dining debt with the enjoyment they bring to our family. we refer to the window opposite our dining table as the "creature channel" as it seems like a day-long nature program!
Enjoy the weekend!
Best regards,
Erika
Dear Erika - I love that expression the 'creature channel'. We have lots of wild creatures as we live in the countryside. Nightly visitors that activate our security lights are badgers, and foxes. We do not put the blinds over the windows so that we can sit in the ambient light and watch them. We also have lots of birds at our feeders, but they do cost me a fortune in nuts and seeds.
DeleteDear Rosemary,
DeleteI think we have a love of "creatures" in common! We are up to 100 pounds of nuts per month right now--(as it's the fattening season...)the man at the seed shop clearly adores us! Still, we're happy to fill the feeders and enjoy the show. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe--this will be our dinner tonight!
Best regards,
Erika
Dear Erika - I am sure the pet shop owner rubs his hands when you arrive!!!
DeleteHope that the soup goes down well. We have just finished the end of ours, and had some lovely Swiss Muesli bread with it.
Today I took a picture for you of a desk with its writing tools. I will show it sometime in the future.
Thank you, Rosemary! Our soup was delicious--with your guidelines, how could it not be? I'm looking forward to seeing your desk photo!
DeleteWarm regards,
Erika
I took the desk tools at Stourhead, so when I have done the post you can see what you think of it.
DeleteGlad that the soup was OK.
Gorgeous soup, Rosemary !!! I love tomatoes in every way and your recipe is a great ideea for a quick meal. Thank you !!!
ReplyDeleteYour friend is a beauty, I would never dream to see something like this in my garden ...
Have a wonderful weekend !!!
He is a beauty, and it is nice that he is so relaxed that he will happily hang around for a long time with us.
DeleteLooks perfect for this rainy day! Any your little deer friend is precious :) Tell her hello :)
ReplyDeleteMay be you will also get the opportunity to see one in your garden as well. No rain for us, ours is a funny little country the way the rain is so localised.
DeleteGlad to have inspired you, Rosemary, and in turn your recipe is next on my list to try. Lidl always has wonderful, reasonably-priced vine tomatoes, the best I can buy in the area, and I buy lots whenever I'm there.
ReplyDeleteYour deer is so beautiful and I too would let him act as unofficial hedge and tree trimmer, just for the joy of being able to watch him at such close quarters.
Thank you Perpetua - life has been very easy since your inspiring post, I have not had to think "what shall we have for lunch". Still one more helping for us both tomorrow, so great value for a small amount of effort.
DeleteWe love to see the wild animals that visit us, it feels like a privilege.
Hi Rosemary, Your roasted tomato soup looks delicious.If must add an extra depth of flavour roasted them. I will definitely give this a try!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful visitor to have in your garden,you are lucky it hasn't got a taste for your flowers ,I know from experience that they are very partial to roses.
Sarah x
Dear Sarah - I know that he likes my neighbours Japanese Anemones, but we are happy for him to trim our hedge and the fruit trees - we have no fruit on them anyway this year. Yes, I think that the secret of the flavour is definitely because they are roasted, and it is also so easy, just a one pot effort really.
DeleteLooks delicious! Yum. We have similar visitors to our garden. We've pretty much protected everything, though, so there's not much to munch on...just a little bird seed on the ground and a few weeds and such. Seeing a buck is always a treat. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteHe is a handsome buck indeed. We had a mother and her fawn in the garden during the night recently and they lit up our security lights. It was lovely to see the young one toss up its back legs as it left through a hole in the hedge which highlighted its little white tail.
DeleteRosemary - that roasted tomatoe soup looks divine. Still too early for tomatoes here - I never buy the out of season ones as they have no flavour.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I noticed a flower on one of the three plants I put in - a way to go yet before making soup from them.
Sooty is great - hope he keeps away from the veggies.
Dear Susan - if you have flowers coming already on your plants then you are guaranteed some lovely tomatoes.
DeleteSooty just seems to eat the hedgerow and fruit trees in our garden, but eats the flowers in other peoples gardens.
Wow Rosemary!Im thrilled with your cute visitor!!You're so lucky my friend!The soup looks delicious!!Ι love the parmezan you put on top!Say my hallo to your wonderful visitor!Wish you a lovely weekend!!
ReplyDeleteDimi..
He is lovely Dimi and both cute and handsome.
DeleteParmigiana cheese has to be one of my favourites. We use it a lot.
It looks yummy and you made very quickly !
ReplyDeleteHere we don't cook tomatoes soup although
we have many tomatoes !Your visitor is lovely !
Did you eat the deer something ?
Olympia
No Olympia, I did not give the deer anything to eat - he just helps himself to whatever he wants. If I went out in to the garden he would gallop away.
DeleteRoasted Tomato Soup just got popped into this week's menu list :) Looks so delicious, I can almost taste the tomatoes from your picture. Nice presentation and bon appetit!
ReplyDeleteBon appétit Rosemary - if you like it a bit more spicy put some chilli paste or flakes in it.
DeleteThis soup looks like a winner--anything this good is only better with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Thanks for the details about the gold around the Chatsworth windows. Funny, our taxi driver from the station was quite the talker and he was really excited about the new updated windows. I really need to get back and see the sun shining on that beautiful gold. Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteDear Debi - If you are interested you can see my gold windows in an Aug 2012 post entitled Crinkle Crankle and 18 carat gold. I did not have time to visit the interior last time I was there, so enjoyed seeing your photos.
DeleteHello Rosemary, That soup looks so amazingly appetizing, and the concept of roasting first to caramelize the vegetables makes sense. I am planning to make gumbo soon, as soon as the weather cools down a few more degrees, and I might try this technique to see what happens, although I don;t know how okra will react to this treatment. As a further experiment, I might sprinkle the vegetables with flour before roasting, to see if that will make an automatic roux.
ReplyDelete--Road to Parnassus
Dear Jim - I think that okra would be ok, but push it nearer to the bottom of the dish so that it has a little bit of cover and protection, and will not get too crisp. Not sure about the vegetables sprinkled with flour. It might become quite brown and dry, loosing its glutinous qualities when you try to make the roux - I do not know though, those are just my thoughts.
DeleteI loved the old Venice poster! I have just caught up with the lovely photos and words in your recent posts. We are enjoying some beautiful autumnal weather at the moment and the garden is loving it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you that old poster is delightful - I especially love the reflections in the water. We are enjoying a lovely spell here in the west of the country too. We have been out all day in the sunshine enjoying lovely blue skies.
DeleteThat is so tempting Rosemary - but someone has just told me that avoiding tomatoes might help my aching arthritic toe! What a dilemma!
ReplyDeleteThats a new one on me Nilly!!! but I do know that tomatoes are supposed to be good for the brain!!!
DeleteDear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteHaving read your post last night I decided to carry on your thoughts on being inspired by something read on a blog, and made us pumpkin soup today.
We occasionally have a Germanic cousin of Sooty sitting in the sun in the park near our apartment. He usually turns up around this time and then is gone for months on end. We can see him from our sittingroom window. He hasn't been here this year although we expect him around November time.
Kirk
That is great Kirk - a sort of chain soup message!!! I love pumpkin soup - very comforting.
DeleteHope you have had a great trip.
I do love to see the deer. This one seems to spend all of his time around here, he looks very fit and healthy, so he is doing well from our gardens.
That soup looks gorgeous, Rosemary. I shall be giving it a go. And your visitor! I'm so envious!
ReplyDeleteTomatoes are brain food Kate, so good for the children too. Do you not get deer from your nearby woods coming to visit?
DeletePlease do not communicate this message ...
ReplyDeleteI hope you know that even though we do not know personally, I admire your page, I learn, you fill my heart and my mind with beautiful pictures and a lot of knowledge .... In the field I planted three trees rosemary ... Both the fence and one centrally .... That is in the center, you'll be more .... I will shoot. You're always in my thoughts and in my heart. I think you're always with me.
Olympia
Dear Olympia - you are thoughtful and kindness itself. Who knows one day we may meet.
DeleteGreat to see your friend in the garden Rosemary. The recipi of the soup must be delicious.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful sunday.
It is at times like these that I wish I had a better camera with a proper telephoto lens Marijke.
Delete