Last week I had one of the roughest days I’ve had in a long time. It was raining and chilly, I was battling flu-like symptoms, behind on my dissertation and finally, just to put some icing on the cake, I had some bad news. It wasn’t my day. Lunch rolled around and I just didn’t feel like cooking (let alone eating) but knew I needed some sustenance if I were going to fight this bug. I peered into my woefully under-stocked fridge. There was no obvious solution to my food conundrum. But I did have these three things: Bread, cheese and a can of soup hiding in the back of my cupboard. The solution was clear, tomato soup and a grilled cheese. Forget chicken soup, this was my food for the soul. That warm soup you can feel sliding into your belly. That crunchy brown bread with melted cheese oozing out the sides.
It wasn’t just how good it tasted, but also the memories it evoked. It reminded me of any given Autumn Saturday during my childhood. Sharon and I would be forced to rake leaves in the backyard for three hours on a Saturday morning. We would spend those hours lamenting our situation, absolutely convinced there was something criminal about a father making his two daughters do manual labour when all other non-exploited children were watching Saturday morning cartoons. We would come inside for a well-deserved lunch break (with sizeable chips on our shoulders) and there would be a steaming bowl of tomato soup and a perfectly browned grilled cheese. This is one of the things (besides clam pasta) that my dad can cook well. And although it is not hard to cook or a ‘speciality’ in any way, it’s a meal that reminds me of him. We’d sit down around the table and all was right between us and dad. All wounds were (at least partially) healed.
Last week, I ate my healing lunch and felt strangely better. I tweeted “There is no ill in the world that a grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup can’t (at least partially) cure.” And my friend tweeted back, “Speak the gospel. That’s so true.”
Amen.
I’ve been known to buy a can or two of soup in my life, but I always resist when David puts it on the grocery list. My soup formulas in How to Cook Without a Book and The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eat Great are so quick and hearty that I have to be pretty desperate to open a can of soup.
I’ve got nothing against cans. In fact I adore all varieties of beans, tomatoes, milk, and broth, as well as tuna, clams, olives, pumpkin, and hominy.
I’m pretty good at gussying up mediocre foods to improve flavor and texture, but there’s no way to disguise the soft pasta, mushy vegetables, and artificial flavors of canned soup. If I had to pick one, however, tomato would be it.
I’m including my homemade tomato soup recipe. As you can see, it doesn’t take long to make and if you don’t have time, skip the pureeing step and enjoy it chunky. Note that it calls for three of my favorite canned goods—tomatoes, chicken broth, and evaporated milk.
But I think you’re wise to keep a can or two of tomato soup on hand for those desperate, dark, depressing days we all have now and again.
Creamy Tomato Soup with Italian Flavors
Makes 10 cups serving 8 to 10
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
Salt and ground black pepper
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add onion; sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in Italian seasonings; cook until fragrant, less than a minute. Add tomatoes and baking soda, then chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
Working in batches, pour soup into a blender; puree, making sure to vent blender by removing pop-out center, and draping a kitchen towel over the top, until creamy smooth, 30 seconds to a minute. Return soup to pot, stir in milk, and heat to simmer, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days; return to simmer) Ladle into bowls and serve.
I’ve gotta say, I’m with Dad on the whole “toss a couple cans of soup into the cart while you’re at it” thing. Well, with the advent of Costco, it’s more like…“heft a couple cases of Progresso onto the flatbed,” but you get the general idea.
I remember in the years after Maggy went to college, whenever Mom would travel, Dad and I would slink off to the grocery store and stock up on canned soup. We were like squirrels stashing acorns for the winter, or maybe more like teenagers amassing beer when their parents were out of town.
We’d pick up our old standbys: chicken noodle, tomato, clam chowder, maybe a minestrone, or a beef barley, but then we’d stand there like a couple of connoisseurs and debate the “wild card” cans—Creamy corn chowder with smoked andouille sausage? Hearty bean and ham? Ooooh, is that tortellini?
Sure, there is something slightly off in the viscosity of the broth, and the chicken cubes are an awkward texture, but the whole process—can to bowl—is literally effortless. You don’t even have to crank the can opener anymore. And in the big, bad world of fast meals, there are definitely worse things you can eat. (Pop-Tarts? Kraft Mac N’ Cheese? And let’s not even start on the “Manwich.”)
I think it’s undeniable that there is something restorative about soup—whether it’s lovingly simmered with picked-over chicken carcasses and organic vegetables, or churned out in a factory full of xanthan gum and mofidied food starch. Either way, it’s warm, easy on the stomach, and imbued with healing memories of sick-bed meals administered by attentive loved ones.
Of course, I’d take a deep, piping bowl Mom’s chicken noodle (extra noodles, please!) over a microwaved mug of Campbell’s any day. But when you’re nauseous, headachy, or just plain hungry, pretty much anything in broth will do the trick.
Oh, Maggie, if you only knew how often I make this “meal” lol! Cut up the grilled cheese into cubes for a crouton effect and it suddenly seems gourmet! Keep up the awesome blog!
Just curious – what is the baking soda for, or what does it do for the soup?
Very good question, Sarah. The baking soda neutralizes some of the tomatoes’ acidity. Without it, the milk would likely curdle.