Westland tomato soup

[Katiecooks]

Ingredients:

4 1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, halved
2 tbls. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1/4 C all-purpose flour
generous 2 C hot beef stock
1 bay leaf
2/3 C milk
1/2 lb. ground sirloin steak
1 tbls. soft brown sugar
1/4 C whipping cream
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh basil, chives, parsley and celery leaves to garnish


Directions:

Put the tomatoes in a heavy pan and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until pulpy.

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill into a clean pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until reduced to 4 cups. Remove the tomatoes from the heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and leek and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for five minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Stir the flour into the onion and leek mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until just colored. Gradually stir in the beef stock.

Pour in the milk and add the tomato puree and the bay leaf Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then lower heat to a simmer.

Season the ground sirloin and form into small balls. Simmer for 10 minutes in the pan.

Stir in the brown sugar and cream with the steak balls. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped herbs before serving. A rich, creamy soup and simply delicious!

[ChileFarmer]

I have never made tomato soup. But growing up we grew lots of tomatoes. We did how ever eat lots of stewed tomatoes, some times with okra, some time not.
I do love tomato gravy, with really nice biscuits. Now thats a meal. We still can stewed tomatoes, because we still grow them. CF

[Katiecooks]

Good evening, CF - As I was growing up, one of my fondest memories from childhood is of watching my Da preparing fresh tomatoes for my Mum to can.
He'd dunk the critters in very hot water to make it easiest to peel them and then do whatever magic it was that he did to pop them into the jars, ready for canning. He never used any type of sugar with them, as he was diabetic and it wasn't allowed for him. The canned tomatoes I grew up with always tasted fresher to me and still do today - as a result of not being loaded with much salt or any sugar. I find that I simply don't care for the taste of commercially canned tomatoes because I don't find them to have that wonderful fresh vegetable flavour that Da's always did. Mum's original family home was in Limburg, Netherlands and from what I have often heard tell by aunts, uncles and family members, the climate and soil of Holland is not especially conducive to growing tomatoes and until a method of growing them under glass was developed in Westland, nobody ever had any. Mum said they were always very expensive and dear to come by when she was a girl. You actually don't find tomatoes grown much of anywhere in the Netherlands except in Westland and that's where that soup recipe comes from. I've often times used what my mum calls "the lazy cook's" version of obtaining the tomato puree by using 4 cups of commercially produced tomato puree instead of taking the long route to get there. But the taste just isn't the same at all. No comparison!!

[Katiecooks]

Just out of curiosity, CF, when you cook up stewed tomatoes do you ever cook them with chunks of fresh bread stewed into them? Mum used to serve them that way on occasion and to this day I still like them that way! When my husband was in the Navy a lot of years ago, we were stationed at NAS Pensacola and there was a wonderful rooming house in the city that served breakfast and dinner to the public. One of the specialities was tomato gravy on biscuits so light they'd practically float off the plate.
To absolutely die for!! You just don't find food like that in New England - sausage gravy and biscuits, yes, but no tomato gravy. Trade ya!!!

[ChileFarmer]

We too have the sausage gravy. Some here call it sawmill gravy. I like sausage but not in my gravy. I like just good ole cream gravy, sausage on the side. Of course this is served over biscuits.
I use real butter and flour to make my roux. Roux not browned. Add cream and lots of black pepper. One trick that I have learned over time. When making gravy, I use a small spatula with holes in it, turned upside down. This does two things, it keeps the bottom moving and the grave goes through the holes, no lumps. I don't stand for lumpy gravy. Or sauce. CF
Stewed tomatoes, I some time serve them over bread. I have not added bread while cooking. Most of the time we serve them over rice. CF

[ChileFarmer]

After talking all about gravy and sausage, sure made me want some really good gravy. This is the results, and it was sure tasty. Todays brunch. CF

[Mama Mangia]

that looks so good!

[Katiecooks]

[QUOTE=ChileFarmer;51901]After talking all about gravy and sausage, sure made me want some really good gravy. This is the results, and it was sure tasty. Todays brunch. CF:

Mea Culpa my friend! And it's your fault that I went out in my kitchen after I looked at that smashing photo and cooked up a "mess" of sausage gravy and even found an old, rather beat up biscuit in my bread box and only shared a little bit with my son who came in from work to see what I was up to. We'll blame the resultant "pig-out" on Chilefarmer!! :

[ChileFarmer]

Yeah, but wasn't it so good. CF

[Katiecooks]

You betchum, Red Rider!! And doesn't that date me though? Did you ever listen to Red Rider on the radio when you were a kid? We who are "old" salute the good stuff like that!!