gray skies, red soups : goat cheese & tomato soup

Oh, I do love a good soup day.

There's a chill on the air and a little hungry empty spot somewhere in between your heart and your belly. Each little silver drop from the gray sky is an invitation to stay in bundled in my sweatshirt & head wrap & make a toasted cheese sandwich to dip in a steamy bowl of soup. We are diving headlong into autumn, increasingly an emblematic chill in the air. There is one house down the street, the lawn covered with leaves in the orange scale of fall colors. I want tomato soup. For real. Tomatoes are the hardest to let go when the seasons shift. They are so delicious, August & September are dotted with the jewel toned juicy delicious of ripe tomatoes. A couple weeks ago, I got the last haul of Roma tomatoes from my local market & made up this recipe. I have made it again with canned tomatoes & it was still very delicious. A bit richer, a bit denser, a bit redder. What I am in love with about this soup is the inherent brightness that the goat cheese brought. I do love a good creamy soup, but sometimes the cream does not love me back. So I came to think, why not use a little fresh goat cheese? We never go wrong together. It is one of those rare relationships with nary a miscommunication. I like goats & all that they make & the cheese likes me back. Combined with the sweetness of slowly softened leeks & good tomatoes, its a perfect combination. Sitting here watching the fat gray sky, this will make for a perfect soupy autumn day.

tomato & goat cheese soup

what you need: soup pot blender slotted spoon cotton butcher's twine to tie bouquet garni ingredients: 1.75 # roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped (or a large 28 oz can of quality diced roma tomatoes) 2Tbsp sherry vinegar 1 tsp granulated sugar (optional) 1 leek, white & bright green, cleaned & sliced thin 1/2 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled & diced fine 1 Tbsp tomato paste a bouquet garni (i made one with 2 basil stems, 4 parsley stems & a sprig of thyme) a bay leaf 4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 1/2 tsp ground allspice several gratings of nutmeg or a scant pinch of ground 2.5 oz fresh goats milk cheese, bring to room temperature sea salt fresh cracked black pepper good extra virgin olive oil a few tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley & basil how to make it: -toss tomatoes with sherry & sugar, use sugar if you prefer a sweeter tomato flavor -pre-heat a medium, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium high flame, add a few tablespoons of cooking oi & heat -add diced onions & thinly sliced leeks & stir to coat, reduce heat to a medium flame, stir occasionally until cooked through, but not brown. the onions will be soft and see through & the leeks will be soft & bright -add tomatoes & stir to coat with onions, add garlic & dried spices & cook all together for about 5 minutes. season with some salt & pepper. stir occasionally until the tomatoes start to exude liquid that begins to caramelize slightly -add 4 cups of broth, you can add a few more cups of cold water also, if you like a thinner soup or if the broth does not cover the tomatoes. -add bouquet garni. bring all to a light boil then reduce heat to simmer -simmer about 20 minutes & stir a few times while cooking -using a slotted spoon, lift out about 1-1.25 cups of tomato chunks & onions & set aside -discard bouquet garni & bay leaf -remove the center of the blender lid, add broth & tomatoes to fill up to about half of the blender work bowl, cover with lid & cover hole with a heavy folded towel (this allows the steam to escape without burning you or building up pressure inside the blender) -puree until desired consistency, puree in batches if necessary, never fill blender more than half full with hot liquids. -in last batch, add the goats milk cheese & puree -return pureed soup & reserved vegetables to the pot & bring to a simmer -check seasoning & adjust using salt & pepper, add a little sherry vinegar if you want more zestiness -to serve: garnish each bowl with sprinkles of fresh herbs & drizzle olive oil over the top