Fannie Farmer's Tomato Soup
A 19th-century pantry classic, sharpened up: whole spices simmered into canned tomatoes, then a quick butter-flour roux pulls it all into a silky, rust-red soup.
Ingredients
- 28 ozcanned whole peeled tomatoes(one standard 28 oz can, with juices)
- 2 cupswater
- 1 sliceyellow onion(about ¼ inch thick)
- 1 piecebay leaf
- 10 piecewhole black peppercorns
- 4 piecewhole cloves
- 2 tspgranulated sugar
- 1 tspfine salt(plus more to taste)
- ⅛ tspbaking soda(prevents curdling, keeps color bright)
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 3 tbspall-purpose flour
Method
- 01
Combine the 28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes (crushing them by hand as you add them), 2 cups water, 1 slice yellow onion, 1 bay leaf, 10 whole black peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, and 2 tsp granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- 02
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have fully broken down and the broth is deeply fragrant.
- 03
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl or 4-cup measuring jug. Pour the tomato mixture through, pressing the solids firmly with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
- 04
Stir the 1 tsp fine salt and ⅛ tsp baking soda into the strained tomato broth. It will foam briefly — that's the soda neutralizing acidity. Set aside.
- 05
Wipe out the saucepan and return it to medium heat. Melt the 2 tbsp unsalted butter until foaming subsides.
- 06
Whisk in the 3 tbsp all-purpose flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1–2 minutes until the roux smells faintly nutty and turns pale gold.
- 07
Slowly pour the strained tomato broth into the roux in a thin, steady stream, whisking vigorously the entire time to prevent lumps.
- 08
Raise heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle boil, whisking frequently, until thickened to a consistency that lightly coats a spoon, about 3–5 minutes.
- 09
Taste and adjust salt. Ladle into warm bowls and serve immediately.
Adapted from public domain & community sources