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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Mmm Mmm Good

Which is similar to, but not the same as the trademarked Campbell Soup slogan — “M’m! M’m! Good!” — but a good way to describe what was on The Frog & PenguINN dinner menu recently when we invited our neighbor, Mary, to join us. She’s a soup fan too and was willing to sample my first try at homemade tomato soup. How hard could it be?

Good news — making homemade tomato soup isn’t hard at all. And, as huge fans of tomato soup this is now ouTomato Soup (1)r preferred tomato soup choice, sorry Campbell's. An added plus is that you may already have most, if not all the fixings available in your pantry or refrigerator. (Yes, fresh tomatoes would be better, maybe this summer.)

The soup was served with one of Grenville’s specialties, grilled cheese sandwiches and he prefers to use Swiss cheese.

Tomato Soup
  • 1-2 TBSP olive oil
  • 6-7 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil (fresh if available)
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes in their juices
  • 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1- 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth (I used beef)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper
  • tomato paste (if needed to thicken)
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream OR use some half & half
  • Ricotta (optional) and/or pesto (optional)
  1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil slowly until translucent and softened.
  2. Add tomatoes and juices to the pan and stir to crush up tomatoes. Add broth and bay leaves and bring to soup to almost boiling, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes to let the soup thicken
  3. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and allow soup to cool slightly. Carefully purée soup in a blender until smooth or Tomato Soup (5)better yet use an immersion blender because pouring soup into a blender to purée it can be messy (trust me).
  4. Return soup to the stove over low heat and stir in cream (or half and half). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve, garnished with a dollop of ricotta and/or a swirl of pesto.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich . . . Mmm Mmm Good

Tomato Soup (2)grilled cheese

As NJ natives, here’s a little history . . . Campbell’s is a NJ native too. It began in 1869 in Camden, where it is still headquartered. Fruit merchant Joseph Campbell and icebox manufacturer Abraham Anderson started packing French peas, fancy asparagus and beefsteak tomatoes, later expanding to other vegetables, jellies, soups, and condiments.

In 1897, chemist Dr. John T. Dorrance joined the company and is credited as the inventor of condensed soup, which turned the company into a household name. The soup was so popular that in 1922 the company incorporated as the Campbell Soup Company.

The cherub-faced icons, the Campbell Kids, have been peddling soup since 1904. Grace Wiederseim Drayton, an illustrator and writer, added sketches of children to her husband’s soup advertising layout. Campbell execs liked the child appeal, choosing her sketches as company trademarks. Mrs. Drayton drew for the company for 20 years. The Campbell Kids were first depicted as ordinary boys and girls. Based on their popularity, they later assumed the personas of police officers, sailors, soldiers and other professions. They are still promoting Campbell Soup.

11 comments:

Claire M. King said...

I love homemade sou[s and must say, tomato is one I haven't tried. Appreciate the recipe.

Out on the prairie said...

one of my favorite meals,I have tried a few takes

pembrokeshire lass said...

Looks really tasty....in fact can I come for lunch? I love toasted Swiss cheese too. Nothing oozes out of a sandwich as well as that variety! Thanks for the recipe....I must try it out! Joan

Anonymous said...

It used to cost us 10 cents a can. Now it is nearly 1 dollar. I like it and love to dip toasted cheese sandwiches into it. Nice photos.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Yum on this for dinner and look easy, have never made if from scratch.

Happy belated birthday, I miss getting you a card out. Life here is nuts, hauling hubby to see houses... scary what is out there.

I an in the road so much lately but maybe next week we can chat.

MadSnapper said...

this looks delish and I would love it

Montanagirl said...

I don't much care for canned soups. I like a good home-made tomato soup though. Yours looks and sounds delicious!

Connie said...

Such yummy comfort food on these cold winter days. Sounds great!

Anvilcloud said...

I am sure your soup is delicious although I like the Campbell version for lunch on occasion. Sue doesn't, so I get to eat the whole thing.

Charlotte Wilson said...

You bring back memories of Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches that my mother made when we were children. She was not much of a cook, thus the canned soup.
Yours is the perfect combination for a cold winter day!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Cambell soup! I have a couple of cases of it in our garage cabinet. Great stuff, Campbell soups!