I would like to share with you the way my family makes tomato soup which is actually one of the traditional ways to prepare it the Czech way.
With rice and carrot, a hint of cinnamon and spiced used for game, that’s how we prepare the tomato soup. It’s not the only way to make it, of course, but even if this combination seems unusual to you, try before you deny!
I like preparing (and eating) it any time of the year, adjusting it to the season. I add more rice in winter which makes the soup thicker, and less in summer which is when I enjoy it cold as well. I do not make roux for this soup because I use our thick homemade tomato puree and the rice thickens the soup as well, but you can thicken it with roux.
As I mentioned, this is our family recipe and we all learnt it watching our mothers and grandmothers prepare it just adding ingredients as they saw fit, never really measuring anything. I measured the usual amounts for the purpose of this recipe but you can absolutely adjust them to your taste.
If you’d like to try other Czech soups, I have some recipes here.
Tomato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 liter/34 fl oz of vegetable broth or water
- 800 ml/27 fl oz of tomato puree
- 2 medium onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 handfuls of rice
- 1 tbsp of butter/lard/oil
- 2 laurels
- 3 pcs of allspice
- 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- salt to taste
- sugar to taste
I use thick homemade tomato puree that I can and store in the basement. It has the perfect ratio of salt and sugar for the tomato soup, so I’ll add a recipe for the tomato puree first.
How to make Tomato Soup
Tomato puree
Cut any amount of tomatoes into smaller pieces. Heat up some oil in a large saucepan and fry the tomatoes a little over medium heat. Salt them a little, cover with a lid and stew until they become soft. Then add some sugar to taste and stew for 10 more minutes. Process the tomatoes in a blender, pour the puree back in the saucepan, add salt and sugar to taste and let it simmer until the puree is as thick as you want. Add water if you want it more liquid. Pour into clean jars and sterilize at 80°C/176°F for 20 minutes.
Make soup
Grate carrots. Dice onions and fry it on grease of your choice in a large pot. When the onion is a little fried but not yet brown, add carrots and fry for a minute. Then add tomato puree and vegetable broth, stir, add spices and salt and sugar to taste. Add also rice, cover the pot with lid and let it simmer until the rice is overcooked. You will notice that the grains pop open, it takes approximately 20 minutes but the exact time depends on the type of rice.
The soup is traditionally served hot but I must say it’s very good cold as well. Enjoy!
