Cream Of Tomato Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup – Old fashioned easy to make California Bistro Style Tomato Soup that will warm your soul. With step by step pictures.

There is a small little, little charming town an hour away from San Diego called Julian. We used to do day trips to this place. Just take a long walk in the vintage streets, stroll along with people waiting in long lines for Julian’s famous Apple pies, or for a cup of fresh pressed cider. There is a lot of cuteness in this unbelievably small town. We had this soup in a small mom and pop restaurant in Julian on a very cold afternoon. It was so warming and thank goodness slurping was allowed. The owner came to check on us and I told him that I was a fan of his soup. I asked him what went into it and instantly he winked ……You really want to know ? Basil….lots of basil…a good mirepoix ( you know what’s a mirepoix? – I nod my head ), roux and cream, lots of cream….and a little bit of this and a little bit of that which I cannot tell you honey!… We thanked him and left the place with a happy belly. I came back home and put his words to work. Mirepoix is a french word for trinity of veggies namely onions, carrots and celery. After lot of tries, I decided to keep the celery away from the soup. Presenting to you , my version of Julian’s Bistro Style Tomato Soup.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, garlic and red bell peppers. Let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes and fresh basil. Basil gives the soup that warmth. Don’t skip on basil.

Add 2 cups-500 ml of water to the pan and pressure cook all the veggies for 5 minutes or for 3 whistles if it’s an indian cooker. Remove off heat. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.

Strain the water and set aside. Grind the veggies in a food processor/mixie and strain. Don’t strain too much. Add back the water to the strained puree. Set aside.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. I used ghee. Add in a tablespoon of all purpose flour/maida and saute on a low flame until the flour is cooked and it turns lightly brown. This we call as the good brown roux.

Add in the strained vegetable puree to the roux. Mix vigorously to avoid lumps from the roux. Add in the salt, sugar and lots of pepper. Let it come to a simmer. Add in 1/2 cup of cream and gently bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove off heat and serve hot with bread. Garnish with basil and croutons.

• 2 teaspoon Olive oil
• 1 medium sized Onion, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 Red Bell pepper, diced
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 8 very ripe Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Basil
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• 1 tablespoon All purpose flour / Maida
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Pepper powder
• 1/2 cup cream
• Croutons for garnish

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, garlic and red bell peppers. Let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes and fresh basil. Basil gives the soup that warmth. Don’t skip on basil.
2. Add 2 cups-500 ml of water and pressure cook all the veggies for 5 minutes or 3 whistles if its an indian cooker. Remove off heat. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Strain the water and set aside. Grind the veggies in a food processor/mixie and strain. Don’t strain too much. Add back the water. Set aside.
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. I used ghee. Add in a tablespoon of all purpose flour/maida and saute on a low flame until the flour is cooked and it turns lightly brown. This we call as the good brown roux.
4. Add in the strained vegetable puree to the roux. Mix vigorously to avoid lumps from the roux. Add in the salt, sugar and lots of pepper. Let it come to a simmer. Add in 1/2 cup of cream and gently bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove off heat and serve hot with bread. Garnish with basil and croutons.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: American

• 2 teaspoon Olive oil
• 1 medium sized Onion, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 Red Bell pepper, diced
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 8 very ripe Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Basil
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• 1 tablespoon All purpose flour / Maida
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Pepper powder
• 1/2 cup cream
• Croutons for garnish

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, garlic and red bell peppers. Let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes and fresh basil. Basil gives the soup that warmth. Don’t skip on basil.
2. Add 2 cups-500 ml of water and pressure cook all the veggies for 5 minutes or 3 whistles if its an indian cooker. Remove off heat. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Strain the water and set aside. Grind the veggies in a food processor/mixie and strain. Don’t strain too much. Add back the water. Set aside.
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. I used ghee. Add in a tablespoon of all purpose flour/maida and saute on a low flame until the flour is cooked and it turns lightly brown. This we call as the good brown roux.
4. Add in the strained vegetable puree to the roux. Mix vigorously to avoid lumps from the roux. Add in the salt, sugar and lots of pepper. Let it come to a simmer. Add in 1/2 cup of cream and gently bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove off heat and serve hot with bread. Garnish with basil and croutons.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/cream-of-tomato-soup-california-bistro-style-tomato-soup/

Keerai Molagootal Recipe, Keerai Molagootal, Spinach Molagootal Recipe. Easy and traditional recipe for South Indian Keerai molagootal / Keerai Kootu. Recipe for spinach and lentil stew. Vegan and gluten free recipe. Usually served with rice.

I had this dish for the first time during my college days from a friends lunch box. It was during my post graduation and my class mate Krishnan offered me a bite from his lunch box. It looked like spinach rice. It was nutty, coconut-ty, comforting bite. I asked him what it was and he told me it was Molagootal. That was the first time I heard that word. I loved that dish. I kind of finished half of his lunch box that day. It was a fantastic meal. Simple, comforting everyday meal. He took me to his home that day evening and I thanked his mother for the Molagootal. I got the recipe too. Here is the recipe for Krishnan’s Molagootal.

Here is the video of how to make keerai molagootal at home.

Click the link below to find the recipes on the site that uses the main ingredient as Spinach and lentils. Spinach Recipes / Greens Recipes Toor Dal Recipes

Here are some of the equipment, utensils and gadgets that will be useful for making this recipe. Click the link to buy them online. Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Triply Stainless Steel Kadai Tri-ply Stainless Steel Frying Pan Pro Mixer Grinder 1000 Watt Pyrex mixing bowls set Swiss Classic KITCHEN KNIFE Prep Cutting Board

Here is the step by step pics / procedure for how to make keerai molagootal at home. Boil about 2 cups of spinach in 1 cup of water for 2-3 minutes in medium flame. Remove off heat. No need to cook the greens for long. Just cook until wilted. That’s enough. Grind the cooked spinach to a coarse puree. Set aside. Note: Save the spinach water / the cooking liquid. We shall use that later.

Boil half a cup of toor-dal with 2 cups of water and a little turmeric powder in a pressure cooker for 7-8 minutes or 4 whistles. Remove off heat. Let the pressure release naturally from the cooker. Slightly mash the lentils. Set aside.

Take a pan / kadai and heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in it. Add in the whole white urad dal, cumin seeds and black pepper. Roast in a very low flame until the urad dal is nice and brown. Getting the urad dal nice and brown is the key. It should smell nutty when the dal turns brown. Add in half a cup of shredded coconut. Briefly saute everything to combine. Remove off heat. Add enough water (use the saved spinach cooking water / liquid) to the mixture and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

The Final Tempering of the keerai molagootal: Take a deep pan and add a teaspoon of coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and the turmeric. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the spinach paste, coconut mixture paste and the cooked toor dal. Add in the salt. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Remove off heat.

Serve hot with rice.

Prep Ingredients for keerai molagootal

• 2 Cups Spinach
• 1/2 cup Toor dal
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

For the coconut mixture for keerai molagootal

• 2 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 2 tablespoon Urad dal
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoon Peppercorn
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded Coconut

For the tempering

• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Here is how to make keerai molagootal

1. Boil about 2 cups of spinach in 1 cup of water for 2-3 minutes in medium flame. Remove off heat. Grind the cooked spinach to a coarse paste. Set aside.
2. Boil half a cup of toor-dal with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes or 4 whistles. Remove off heat. Let the pressure release naturally from the cooker. Mash the lentils. Set aside.
3. Take a pan / kadai and heat 2 teaspoons of oil in it. Add in the urad dal, cumin seeds and pepper. Saute in very low flame until the urad dal is nice and brown. Getting the urad dal nice and brown is the key. It should smell nutty when the dal turns brown. Add in half a cup of shredded coconut. Briefly saute everything to combine. Remove off heat. Add enough water to the mixture and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
4. The Final Tempering: Take a deep pan and add a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and the turmeric. Let the mustard seeds splutter.
5. Add in the spinach paste, coconut mixture paste and the cooked toor dal. Add in the salt. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove off heat.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Dal / Lentil recipes
• Cuisine: South Indian