Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe – for Valentines Day

A specialized homemade tomato soup recipe – is the perfect dish to get those love vibes going on Valentine’s Day. Valentine was an Italian Bishop who served in Italy – and a Italian food is perfect. This recipe has a mixture of red wine and Italian flavors that will leave you begging for more! Served with a lover or to someone you love it is the perfect dinner. It is also a great serving accompanied by another Italian dish.

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe – Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cups chopped onion (about 1 1/2 onions)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounce cans)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup Chianti wine (or any red wine)
• 5 cups crustless rustic Italian bread, (cut into small cubes)
• 1 1/4 cups shaved parmesan cheese
• salt

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe – Instructions

• Pour the olive oil into a large saucepot and place over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and basil and sauté for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Open the cans of stewed tomatoes. Pour the juices into the pot, then squash each tomato by hand, breaking into irregular pieces, as you place them into the pot. Add the bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, vegetables broth, wine, and bread. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Check the pappa al pomodoro. If the bread cubes haven’t dissolved creating a thick porridge, use a potato masher to break them up into smaller pieces. Then turn off the heat and stir in 3/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese.
• To serve, scoop the soup into cups or bowls and finish with a little drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe – A Summary of the Tomato

To many surprise the tomato does not originate from Europe or Asia. The tomato is native to South America.

The tomato is the edible berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Nahuatl word tomatl gave rise to the Spanish word tomate, from which the English word tomato derived. Its domestication and use as a cultivated food may have originated with the indigenous peoples of Mexico. 

The Aztecs used tomatoes in their cooking at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and after the Spanish encountered the tomato for the first time after their contact with the Aztecs, they brought the plant to Europe, in a widespread transfer of plants known as the Columbian exchange. From there, the tomato was introduced to other parts of the European-colonized world during the 16th century.

are a significant source of umami flavor. They are consumed in diverse ways: raw or cooked, and in many dishes, sauces, salads, and drinks. While tomatoes are fruits—botanically classified as berries—they are commonly used culinarily as a vegetable ingredient or side dish.

Numerous varieties of the tomato plant are widely grown in temperate climates across the world, with greenhouses allowing for the production of tomatoes throughout all seasons of the year. Tomato plants typically grow to 1–3 meters (3–10 ft) in height. They are vines that have a weak stem that sprawls and typically needs support. Indeterminate tomato plants are perennials in their native habitat, but are cultivated as annuals. (Determinate, or bush, plants are annuals that stop growing at a certain height and produce a crop all at once.) The size of the tomato varies according to the cultivar, with a range of 1–10 cm (¹⁄₂–4 in) in width.

The wild ancestor of the tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, is native to western South America. These wild versions were the size of peas. The first evidence of domestication points to the Aztecs and other peoples in Mesoamerica, who used the fruit fresh and in their cooking.

The Spanish first introduced tomatoes to Europe, where they became used in Spanish food. In France, Italy and northern Europe, the tomato was initially grown as an ornamental plant. It was regarded with suspicion as a food because botanists recognized it as a nightshade, a relative of the poisonous belladonna. This was exacerbated by the interaction of the tomato’s acidic juice with pewter plates. The leaves and fruit contain tomatine, which in large quantities would be toxic. However, the ripe fruit contains a much lower amount of tomatine than the immature fruit.

To Learn More about Gardening the Tomato, Follow this Link…

Tomato Gardening Tips: Planting, Pruning, Harvesting & More (freshfoodconnect.org)

To Return to our Main Valentines Site, Follow this Link!…

The Website Dedicated to Valentine’s Day – (saintvalentinesday.net)