Kelly Rossiter
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I had this basket of lovely potatoes from my vegetable lady sitting on my cupboard and I wanted to use them in a soup that would be different from my regular potato soup recipe. I've been trying a lot of recipes from Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson and there was an interesting sounding recipe using potatoes and ripe tomatoes, which I also happened to have.
It being the middle of my lazy month at the cottage, I didn't bother peeling the potatoes or the tomatoes, nor did I strain the soup when it was done. The overall effect was a little more rustic than Mr. Hopkinson intended, I'm sure, but it was really good nonetheless. The potatoes I have aren't very starchy at all and they pureed beautifully without getting the gluey texture you sometimes end up with. This, like everything else I have tried in this delightful cookbook, is worth making again.
Potato Tomato Soup
1 tbsp butter
6 cups water
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
5 thyme sprigs
1 1/2 lbs new potatoes, washed, scraped and coarsely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb very ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
4-5 tbsp olive oil
a small bunch of basil, leaves only
red wine vinegar, to taste
freshly ground white pepper
- Melt the butter in a large pan with a little of the water, and add the onion, bay leaf and thyme. Stew over a low heat for a few minutes, then add the potatoes and salt. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Pour in the rest of the water and bring up to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are very soft indeed. Pass the soup through a mouli-legumes and return to the pan (note: do not be tempted to liquidise this soup, as it may become gluey).
- In a separate saucepan, fry the tomatoes with a little seasoning in 1 tbsp of the olive oil and cook until their juices have evaporated and the tomatoes have thickened slightly. Pass these through a sieve (fine enough to catch the seeds) and add them to the potato soup. Puree the basil with a little vinegar and salt, and then incorporate the remaining olive oil to form a dressing. Set aside.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls, with a spoonful or two of the basil dressing floating on top, and a generous grinding of pepper. If the soup thickens between the time it is made and served, thin it with additional water or, if you prefer, a little single cream.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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