Pioneer Potluck: Mom made great tomato soup
Published 12:45 am Wednesday, September 9, 2015
My mom made wonderful homemade tomato soup. I think this in one of the lost recipes.
She canned quarts of tomatoes for the winter time supply of tomatoes in earlier years. She stopped canning tomatoes after they were so plentiful in a can in a store. After all, as you know, they are a lot of work to can.
As well as I can remember: one quart of canned tomatoes, heat to almost boiling. Stir in a PINCH of soda. Stir in 1 cup of cream. Ladle into bowls and top with one spoonful of homemade butter. Pass the homemade bread and butter. Or sometimes, she would break up crackers into the soup before she ladled it into our bowls. And then topped it with butter and salt and pepper. Or this was my favorite:she would put homemade noodles in the hot tomatoes, let them simmer until tender. Pour into warm bowl and top with the homemade butter, salt and pepper. I would ask for this once in a while. She would look at me and say, “I have to make noodles first, some other time.” Tomato soup was mom’s instant lunch. And adding the noodles was our supper dish with homemade bread, butter, and her wonderful dill pickles and chocolate cake for dessert.
Or today, two cans of your favorite type of tomatoes, stewed, whole, diced, Italian, or Mexican. I love to use all of the different flavors. Heat but do not boil. Stir in a PINCH of soda, and stir in about 1 cup of cream or milk or 2 percent milk, or as we like it, one cup of canned milk. Take off heat and ladle into warm bowls. Top with a spoon full of butter, salt and pepper. Pass the crackers.
When Bob and I were moved into the cabin, we did not have much in our cupboards, and after a real long day of sun that went down at midnight I asked him if he liked heated stewed tomatoes and crackers. He said it was his one of his favorites. So we have that once in a while.
This simple dish brings back much pleasure and warm memories.
