There is a small little, little charming town an hour away from San Diego called Julian. We used to do day trips to this place. Just take a long walk in the vintage streets, stroll along with people waiting in long lines for Julian’s famous Apple pies, or for a cup of fresh pressed cider. There is a lot of cuteness in this unbelievably small town. We had this soup in a small mom and pop restaurant in Julian on a very cold afternoon. It was so warming and thank goodness slurping was allowed. The owner came to check on us and I told him that I was a fan of his soup. I asked him what went into it and instantly he winked ……You really want to know ? Basil….lots of basil…a good mirepoix ( you know what’s a mirepoix? – I nod my head ), roux and cream, lots of cream….and a little bit of this and a little bit of that which I cannot tell you honey!… We thanked him and left the place with a happy belly. I came back home and put his words to work. Mirepoix is a french word for trinity of veggies namely onions, carrots and celery. After lot of tries, I decided to keep the celery away from the soup. Presenting to you , my version of Julian’s Bistro Style Tomato Soup.
Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, garlic and red bell peppers. Let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes and fresh basil. Basil gives the soup that warmth. Don’t skip on basil.
Add 2 cups-500 ml of water to the pan and pressure cook all the veggies for 5 minutes or for 3 whistles if it’s an indian cooker. Remove off heat. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.
Strain the water and set aside. Grind the veggies in a food processor/mixie and strain. Don’t strain too much. Add back the water to the strained puree. Set aside.
Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. I used ghee. Add in a tablespoon of all purpose flour/maida and saute on a low flame until the flour is cooked and it turns lightly brown. This we call as the good brown roux.
Add in the strained vegetable puree to the roux. Mix vigorously to avoid lumps from the roux. Add in the salt, sugar and lots of pepper. Let it come to a simmer. Add in 1/2 cup of cream and gently bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove off heat and serve hot with bread. Garnish with basil and croutons.
- 2 teaspoon Olive oil
- 1 medium sized Onion, diced
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1 Red Bell pepper, diced
- 1 Carrot, diced
- 8 very ripe Tomatoes
- ¼ cup Basil
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon All purpose flour / Maida
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Pepper powder
- ½ cup cream
- Croutons for garnish
- Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, garlic and red bell peppers. Let it sweat for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes and fresh basil. Basil gives the soup that warmth. Don’t skip on basil.
- Add 2 cups-500 ml of water and pressure cook all the veggies for 5 minutes or 3 whistles if its an indian cooker. Remove off heat. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Strain the water and set aside. Grind the veggies in a food processor/mixie and strain. Don’t strain too much. Add back the water. Set aside.
- Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter or ghee. I used ghee. Add in a tablespoon of all purpose flour/maida and saute on a low flame until the flour is cooked and it turns lightly brown. This we call as the good brown roux.
- Add in the strained vegetable puree to the roux. Mix vigorously to avoid lumps from the roux. Add in the salt, sugar and lots of pepper. Let it come to a simmer. Add in ½ cup of cream and gently bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove off heat and serve hot with bread. Garnish with basil and croutons.