Bklyn Larder's Spicy Tomato Soup

A few weeks ago I received an email from Tasting Table advertising Jersey Farms Crushed Tomatoes.  When I saw the list of chefs using the canned tomatoes at their restaurants it sparked my interest enough to look at the list of stores (and restaurants) in the city selling the tomatoes.  Unfortunately, none of them were anywhere near out apartment.  I briefly considered ordering some online from Fresh Direct, but ended up getting lazy.  Then the other day in Chinatown we walked past a Dean and Deluca's so I ran in to see if they had the tomatoes.  Luckily they did carry the tomatoes so I picked up 2 cans.  I thought about buying more, but the thought of carrying several pounds worth of canned tomatoes around Chinatown was enough to dissuade me.  So today I decided to go ahead and make the recipe for Bkyln Larder's Spicy Tomato Soup that was included in the Tasting Table email.  It looked super easy - actually I was a little worried about how easy it was and how few ingredients were required.  But I figured if you're going to spend about $10 for 48 oz of canned tomatoes, you want the recipe you make with them to be simple enough so the tomatoes themselves can really shine.  We served the soup with more Bayona Caesar Salad, but as soon as I took a bite of the soup I turned to Alex and said this was literally the perfect soup to serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.  The soup is a little spicy, a little sweet, and all about the tomatoes.  If you like your soup a little creamier, you can always add a little buttermilk or something, but I think it is perfect without any dairy.  You can also puree the soup in the blender or with an immersion blender if you want your soup perfectly smooth, but I actually prefer my tomato soup slightly on the chunky side.  I want there to be a little texture to it.  Anyway, this is the perfect weeknight meal.  Simmer the tomatoes on the stovetop, forget about them for a little bit, make the grilled cheeses and within an hour (and with very little work) you have a delicious dinner.  Can this soup compete with the Vietnamese Noodle Combos with Vietnamese Grilled Pork Balls or the Caramelized Chicken with Lemongrass and Chilis?  No.  But it's not supposed to.  The beauty of the dish is its simplicity and the ease with which you can throw it together.  It is a really nice bowl of tomato soup, which is exactly what it sets out to be.

Recipe after the jump!

Bklyn Larder's Spicy Tomato Soup

Adapted from recipe available on Tasting Table

INGREDIENTS

Two 28-ounce cans Jersey Farms crushed tomatoes

7 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp hot sauce (we used Lingham's Hot Sauce, but the recipe suggested piri-piri sauce)

1 tbsp sugar
water (if desired)

s&p

In a large saucepan or soup pot, simmer the crushed tomatoes uncovered on low until slightly thickened, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, hot sauce and sugar.

Using an immersion blender, puree the tomato mixture (if desired - we left the soup rustic and chunky), and thin with water to desired consistency (we didn't add any water so the soup was thick and almost tomato sauce in consistency, rather than smooth and thin, but that's what we wanted).  Season with s&p and additional hot sauce to taste.

Serve with toasted slices of baguette/homemade croutons, or grilled cheese sandwiches.