Jamie Oliver's Tomato Soup http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/tomato-soup/#Ybr6wGYkJK2ZKc3H.97
The soup that I decided to make this week, was a tomato soup. The reason why I chose this soup was because I wanted to try something new. Tomatoes are not used much in Chinese cuisine and Malaysian cuisine, because of that, my family has never really fancied tomatoes in general. So in making this soup, I wanted to try and incorporate something new and fresh-tasting in my repertoire that would be good enough to somehow change my family's mind about tomatoes. The recipe that I used for my reference is in the link that is posted above.
Recipe
Roasted Tomatoes
- Vine-Ripened Tomatoes 1 kg
- Olive Oil 50 ml
- Thyme Sprigs 5 sprigs
Chicken Stock
- Chicken Carcass 2 nos
- Yellow Onion 1 nos
- Carrots 1 nos
- Thyme 3 sprigs
- Bay Leaf 3 leaves
- Garlic 1 bulb
- Water 3 Litres
Peanut Pesto
- Thai Basil 10g
- Roasted Peanuts 10g
- Parmesan Cheese 5g
- Garlic 1 clove
- Olive Oil 50 ml
- Salt to season
- Black Pepper to season
- Parmesan Cheese 100g
- Vine-Ripened Tomatoes 1 kg
- Olive Oil 50 ml
- Thyme Sprigs 5 sprigs
Chicken Stock
- Chicken Carcass 2 nos
- Yellow Onion 1 nos
- Carrots 1 nos
- Thyme 3 sprigs
- Bay Leaf 3 leaves
- Garlic 1 bulb
- Water 3 Litres
Peanut Pesto
- Thai Basil 10g
- Roasted Peanuts 10g
- Parmesan Cheese 5g
- Garlic 1 clove
- Olive Oil 50 ml
- Salt to season
- Black Pepper to season
- Parmesan Cheese 100g
The ingredients that I used for my stock and even pesto was quite unconventional, but I had to make due with the ingredients available to me, and minimize the cost. The results were much better than I thought it would have been. The method is as follows.
The oven was preheated at a 170°C, and the tomatoes after tossing with oil, was placed into the oven for 1 hour.
Next was the stock making. The chicken carcasses were briefly washed, and placed into a pot covered with cold water and brought to a boil. While periodically skimming, the vegetables were cut into a rough paysanne and added into the stock after skimming was done. All other herbs and garlic was added into it as well. The stock was turned down into a simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
5 minutes before the tomatoes are done roasting, toss in the thyme sprigs and leave the tomatoes are ready to be taken out. Leave the tomatoes at aside to cool.
While the stock was simmering away, all the ingredients for the pesto was placed into a blender, and blended until it reached a thick paste consistency. After the stock was done simmering, it was strained and blended with the tomatoes.
After blending, the soup was then strained once again to achieve a smooth consistency. The soup was then heated once again, parmesan cheese was added, and it was seasoned with salt and black pepper. It was then garnished with the Peanut Pesto, a few drops of olive oil and sour cream. The soup had a strong tart and fresh smell, with a small hint of chicken. It looked quite vibrant and bright and tasted sour with a little bit of cheese to balance it out. It's consistency resembled heavy cream, but tasted much lighter due to the acidity. My friend's words were as follows:
Won Jun Chang: It's very nice but a little bit too sour for me
Amber : I like the acidity, and it would be good as a cold soup for a palate cleanser as well
In all honesty, I felt that the challenges that I faced would have been able to overcome with a little more preparation and splurging. I had only started planning on my soup when I was on the way to my friend's house to make it, and if I had a little bit more money, I would have bought some heavy cream to adjust the acidity and creaminess of the soup. I would consider this attempt both a success and a failure. A success in the sense that my friends liked what I made, but a failure because the soup wasn't made to what it could have been with a little more preparation. I felt that through this experience, I was able to achieve a new height of understanding of preparation and even balancing flavors. I also think that as a Chef, I would have to be able to be more versatile and flexible in my cooking and with my available ingredients, and of course I feel that in terms of plating and garnishing, there is definitely much room to improve on. Nevertheless, I think this would be a soup that my family members would enjoy having if they were in Canada.
Won Jun Chang: It's very nice but a little bit too sour for me
Amber : I like the acidity, and it would be good as a cold soup for a palate cleanser as well
In all honesty, I felt that the challenges that I faced would have been able to overcome with a little more preparation and splurging. I had only started planning on my soup when I was on the way to my friend's house to make it, and if I had a little bit more money, I would have bought some heavy cream to adjust the acidity and creaminess of the soup. I would consider this attempt both a success and a failure. A success in the sense that my friends liked what I made, but a failure because the soup wasn't made to what it could have been with a little more preparation. I felt that through this experience, I was able to achieve a new height of understanding of preparation and even balancing flavors. I also think that as a Chef, I would have to be able to be more versatile and flexible in my cooking and with my available ingredients, and of course I feel that in terms of plating and garnishing, there is definitely much room to improve on. Nevertheless, I think this would be a soup that my family members would enjoy having if they were in Canada.