Post by dianthus on Sept 14, 2015 11:53:25 GMT
The secret to this recipe is a piece of Parmesan rind.
Do not attempt to make it without, as the depth of flavour is achieved by the addition of the natural MSG in the cheese, which gives the required savouriness.
Ingredients:
20 large tomatoes - ripe
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp coarse sea salt
10 twists of black pepper mil
I piece of Parmesan Reggiano rind (removed before blitzing soup)
1/2 pt milk
1/4pt double cream
Method:
Heat large saucepan of water.
Place small cross on base of each tomato, where stamen mark is, to facilitate skin peeling.
Plunge 3 or 4 tomatoes into the boiling water, for a few seconds, until you see the skins start to peel back.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place immediately into a large bowl of cold water. Repeat til all tomatoes blanched.
Remove the tomatoes when cooled and peel them, retaining any skins that have held on to any pulp.
With the thin knife, scrape away this pulp and add to a clean bowl, set with a fine sieve, that you later add the pips and cores to.
Quarter each of the tomatoes, and using a teaspoon, remove the pips and cores to the sieve, with the flesh going into another large bowl.
Periodically, squeeze the juice from the cores and pips into the bowl beneath, and discard the residue.
When all separated, check for any pips in the quarters and add to the large saucepan, along with the sieved liquid.
Add the sugar, salt, pepper and cheese rind to the tomato pulp.
Bring to the boil on a medium heat, and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on. This softens the pulp and extracts the flavours from the cheese..... this is the umami that makes all the difference.
(Sit down, have a coffee, have a rest. the hard bit is done, apart from the washing up!)
Complete removal of pips will stop any bitterness from getting into the cooked soup. Sieving after cooking and removal of rind, doesn't produce the delicate well-rounded soup that you seek.
If you want tomato concasse, for stews, casseroles, etc., just remove the cheese rind, cool, bag up and freeze.
For Cream of Tomato soup:
Remove the rind and blitz with a stick blender.
Return to the stove and add the milk and the cream.
Tweak the seasonings and or sugar after tasting to see if the flavours are balanced.
Stir all the time and do not allow to boil or the cream will coagulate in the soup. Give the soup another quick blitz if this starts to happen.
There is no water in this recipe, so it is based on the quality and flavour of the tomatoes. If you are using up woolly fruits, then you may need extra milk and sugar, in the recipe.
Serve with Cheese and Chive Scones for a wonderful winter lunch 
PS If you don't have a sweet tooth, start with less sugar, but, as with bought ketchup, the sugar gives depth to the tomato flavour. You can always add a little more when you taste it after adding the milk and cream, and when you adjust the salt and pepper.
