bisque | A Small Town Kitchen

Are you dreaming of fresh tomatoes from your garden? Or maybe, you are just ready to feast on some simple, uncomplicated meals, after all the great holiday food assortment from the last two weeks.

For me, it is a little of both. I walk by my raised garden beds everyday when I check on the backyard chicks. My garlic and onions are planted, mulched for winter, to make their reappearance this coming spring. But, the other beds are just hibernating, waiting till spring, when they will be full of veggies and (my favorite) tomatoes.

I have also eaten my fair share of…mmm…how do I say this politely….superfantastichighcaloriescrumptiousanddelicious creations that just so happened to cross my path. And, yet, I am not giving up till I finish that bag of Doritos. LOL

Regardless, I am just ready to eat simple for a bit. Most of you already know that I love soup. I have more soup recipes on this blog that I do anything else. (at least I think so)

This Tomato Basil Bisque, is one of my favorites. I peel and freeze tomatoes, that I grow in the summer, just to make this soup in the winter. But…don’t worry…you don’t have to grow your own tomatoes to make this cause canned tomatoes and tomato juice works just fine!

You will need some sort of blender to blend up all the veggies to make this smooth and creamy soup. I have used an immerseable blender to make this, or you can use a food processor.

Just be sure and try it once. If you love tomato soup, just think of rich and creamy (from a tad of whipping cream) soup with the perfect amount of basil seasoning. Yes, it goes perfect with some grilled cheese sandwiches.

Anywho, enough of me chatting away….let’s get to the recipe.

This is what you need:

You will need some fresh carrots, celery, garlic and onion, along with dice tomatoes, chicken broth, whipping cream, tomato paste, butter, sugar, pepper and oregano and basil.

Dice up your carrots. I peeled mine first.

Dice your celery.

And dice your onions and garlic (the garlic is not pictured)

In a large stock pan, add in your butter and celery, onions, carrots and garlic.

Sauté, stirring until they soften.

Add in tomato juice.

Then some chicken broth.

Diced tomatoes

tomato paste

oregano

basil…I used dried.

cracked pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Be careful…..blend the hot soup until smooth and creamy.

It will change color as you blend it smooth.

Pour the tomato mixture back into the stock pot

Add in the whipping cream

add in the sugar

and stir and cook on medium heat until heated through. Now, is the time to make the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here is a close up, time to get your spoon ready. : )

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Tomato Basil Bisque

Creamy and delicious, perfect with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 cup celery chopped
3/4 cup carrots chopped
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 7.5 ounce can diced tomatoes or 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup whipping cream or you can save calories and use fat free half and half
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup snipped fresh basil for garnish optional

Instructions

Chop the celery, carrot and onions. Mince the garlic.
In a large saucepan, cook celery, carrots, onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add in tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Place half of soup on in a blender or a food processor and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with the other half.
Return tomato mixture to the saucepan. Stir in whipping cream and sugar. Heat through.
Can garnish with fresh basil leaves or some pesto.

Notes

asmalltownkitchen.com

Here is the recipe:

Adapted from a fundraiser cookbook

Tomato Basil Bisque

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups tomato juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 small can (7 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes or use 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup whipping cream

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup snipped fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Chop the celery, carrot and onions. Mince the garlic.

In a large saucepan, cook celery, carrots, onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add in tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Place half of soup on in a blender or a food processor and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with the other half.

Return tomato mixture to the saucepan. Stir in whipping cream and sugar. Heat through.

Can garnish with fresh basil leaves or some pesto.

Makes 8 servings.

I guess I must be missing my backyard garden full of ripe, off the vine, tomatoes.

AWWWW…

I know spring will come and I can start planting again. When I can start enjoying all the bounty that a backyard garden has to offer.

BUT, in the meantime, it is super cold outside and I miss those tomatoes.

Wha-laaaaa, Shazaaammm…Hocus Pocus….

I will make Tomato Bisque.

Lets see if I did my kitchen math right……missing tomatoes plus freezing cold weather equals Warm and Delicious Tomato Bisque.

Looks like it adds up to me!

Though my math skills are lacking…just ask Oldest Daughter who is a walking calculator.

Anywho, I have been saving this little gem of a recipe for some time and this past week was the perfect time to cook a batch up. Actually I made two batches. Yes, me and the kiddos ate the first batch right up, so I made another.

Yes, I have problems like that. : )

Here is all the things you need to make this easy, creamy and delicious Tomato-Basil Bisque.

You will need, tomato juice, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, whipping cream, celery, carrots, sugar, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and pepper.

First thing you do is start chopping. I chopped the carrots first.

Then the celery.

Next, I did the onion and lastly I diced up the garlic.

In my large sauce pan, I sauted the celery, carrots, onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Suate the vegetables until they get tender but do not brown.

Now, you can add in the tomato juice.

Then you add the chicken stock.

Add in the diced tomatoes.

Add in the tomato paste.

Sprinkle in the basil.

Then the oregano.

Lastly, add the pepper.

Stir and simmer the soup for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are really tender and the bisque starts to thicken.

With a blender, food processor or an immersible blender, blend the bisque, a half batch at a time, until smooth.

When you blend it, the color lightens up and the bisque is very smooth.

Now, put the bisque back into the sauce pan.

Pour in the whipping cream.

Sprinkle in the sugar.

Stir the cream and sugar in. Heat the bisque through.

Lookie lookie, the bisque is all ready. Nice and thick and cream and deliciously easy to make.

If you are missing your fresh garden tomatoes, this bisque might be the perfect substitute.

Enjoy!

Becky

Tomato-Basil Bisque

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped, yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups of tomato juice

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup diced canned tomatoes

1/2 can of a 6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup whipping cream

4 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute celery, onions and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Do not brown.

Add in the tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. It will start to thicken.

Take the soup off of the heat. Pour half of the soup into a blender or food processor. Blend the soup until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Return all the pureed soup back into the saucepan. Stir in the whipping cream and sugar. Bring the soup back to a slow simmer and heat through.

Stir in the fresh basil.

Now it is ready to serve.

Makes about 8 servings.