Roasted Tomato Soup with Mexican Flavours
When it’s chilly outside, I vastly prefer a warming soup to a cold salad. So, I tend to start preparing soups and broths the moment the first cold-snap arrives.
The Mexican-inspired flavors of cumin and jalapeño pepper in this soup will warm both your palate and your stomach. If your family does not eat spicy foods, you can always cut down the number of jalapeños. Don’t worry, though. Jalapeños are fairly mild, and I have deliberately added only a few to give the soup a subtle kick.
Roasting the tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeños is important because it brings out the natural sugars in all three, which really boosts the flavor. Don’t worry if you go a little overboard and wind up with some nice brown bits — which is what I prefer to do. Those caramel bits will give your soup a lovely depth and complexity.
Toppings
If your family is anything like mine, you will probably start playing around with toppings to vary the soup from time to time. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Shredded cheddar
- Crispy onions
- Sour cream, with a little chipotle chile stirred through it
- Green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh coriander
Bon appetit!
Roasted Tomato Soup with Mexican Flavours
Ingredients
- 2 kg tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
- 3 jalapeño peppers (or to taste)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup pouring cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh coriander, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180° C with the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in one layer on a lined baking tray. Strew garlic and jalapeños amongst the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and grind salt and pepper over it all.
- Roast tomatoes, garlic and chilies for 1 hour. Cool in the pan. Peel garlic cloves and stem the jalapeños.
- Cook onion, butter, and cumin in a 6L heavy pot set over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, garlic, jalapeños, and stock and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Purée soup using a stick blender. Stir in cream and taste for salt. Add additional salt as needed, and warm over gentle heat.
- Ladle soup into 8 bowls and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Notes
Personally, I enjoy the soup's texture. However, if you are preparing this soup for a special occasion, you could pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the solids to remove all the liquid. This extra step will give the soup a silky finish.
I love to try your tomato soup recipe! So many flavors here! My family favorite toppings are sour cream and cheddar cheese. Thank you for sharing, Jeanette!
Thanks Gala! I love sour cream and cheddar cheese too! They add a certain richness to the soup. With a crostini and a green salad on the side, lunch is served!