This simple, garden-to-table tomato bisque is a standard here at The Olenick House. It can be served as an elegant first course at a dinner party or paired with a crisp, garden salad for a quiet, solo weeknight supper.
I’ve made suggestions, where possible, for ways to convert this into a vegetarian dish, too.
Throughout the growing season, when the air is warm and fragrant and birds are abundant at the feeders, I am forever picking tomatoes from our vines.
Different heritage varieties grow in our humble vegetable patch, which with the help of the bees and other insects, tend to cross-pollinate. I don’t mind that at all. It’s just nature doing its thing.
Each variety has its own discerable flavour and its fun to mix and match the sweet and acidic tomatoes you grow, to get the texture and taste of your dishes just right.
What do I do with all of these bright, red gems? Some, I like to share and the rest get canned or frozen for future recipes. For those moments when Darren and I are at a point, in the depths of a Manitoba winter, when we yearn for the flavors of summer.
Whether you’re working with store-bought produce or your own hand-grown gems, this bisque recipe is easy and tantalizing from the moment the first ingredient hits the pot.
Total Prep Time: 45 min
Servings in Recipe: 6
Serving Size: 8oz bowl
Calories per serving: 183
CREAMY TOMATO BISQUE
INGREDIENTS
bisque
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups yellow onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Credit: Aliona Gumeniuk
CREAMY TOMATO BISQUE
DIRECTIONS
bisque
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat
- Add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until translucent
- Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Stir in chicken (or vegetable) stock and tomatoes. (If tomatoes are from the garden, skins should be removed before adding them.)
- Bring to a boil then turn heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes
- Once tomatoes are completely rendered, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to completely blend in.
- Slowly introduce heavy cream or soy milk and olive oil mixture into the pot, stir again to combine. (As you stir, it will make a lovely marbling effect. When the marbling disappears, all will be combined. )
- Liquify chopped onions in the soup with a hand blender in the pot or process portions at a time in a blender, then return to pot. (If blender method is chosen, be sure to heat the soup through for a few more minutes to ensure an even temperature.)
- Before serving, garnish each bowl with a bit of fresh parsley, a dollop of sour cream or perhaps a few sourdough croutons
CREAMY TOMATO BISQUE
SUGGESTED SIDES & PAIRINGS
SALADS
Fig and Walnut Salad
with Sweet Yogurt Dressing
Spinach Salad with
Apples and Goat Cheese
BREADS
Grilled Cheese on Fresh Brioche
Warm Cornbread with Honey Butter
WINE
Bodegas Yuste
Manzanilla Sherry
Giacomo Mori
Palazzone Chianti
ALTERNATE INGREDIENTS
- Crushed Tomatoes > Garden or Market Fresh Tomatoes
- Yellow Onions > White Onions
- Chicken Broth> Vegetable Broth
- Heavy Cream > Soy Milk + Olive Oil
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