Turned-up Tomato Soup

A classic tomato soup gets a turned-up remake.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup are classic combinations.

Some would say they are inextricably bound.

While my Turned-up Tomato Soup is a wonderful accompaniment to your favorite grilled cheese sandwich, it can be consciously upcoupled (a wink and nod to Gwyneth Paltrow) and stand firmly on its own.

Using fire roasted tomatoes gives the soup a tasty smokiness. I’ve added my beloved sweet potato to this soup to create more depth of flavor while adding a subtle, sweet middle note. The splash of tequila gives it roundness, and the ground chili paste turns it up with and infuses a lovely finish and pop of spice!

Turned-up Tomato Soup up close and personal.

Not only is this a delicious soup, try it over chicken, fish and pasta or serve cold like gazpacho garnished with fresh chopped cilantro. Or get jiggy with it and charge it up with some cooked black beans and corn. Or how about adding chopped chicken or cocktail shrimp?

Oh boy! Are you ready to get turned up?

The recipe is below. Enjoy!

Turned-up Tomato Soup

Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
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A turned-up version of tomato soup with a little tequila.

Cazadores Reposado, Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes, tequila, Tomato soup, Tomato soup and grilled cheese, Turned up tomato soup

Ingredients

1 14.5 ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes

½ pound or 1 cup, peeled sweet potatoes, medium dice

½ medium white or yellow onion, chopped small dice

2 cloves garlic, chopped small dice

4 cups low sodium chicken stock or good vegetable broth (see my back burner vegetable broth recipe here)

1 tablespoon butter, clarified is my favorite

½ teaspoon sugar, white granulated

½ teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

1 to 2 teaspoons ground fresh chili paste (to your liking)

2 tablespoons gold tequila (I used Cazadores Reposado Tequila)

Cracked pepper, to your taste

Directions

To a stock pan or Dutch oven set on medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add diced sweet potatoes and cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned.
Add onions and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
Add garlic and chopped oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in tequila and next add fire roasted tomatoes, chicken or vegetable stock/broth, salt, ground chili paste, sugar and some cracked pepper.
Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.
When done, remove from heat and carefully pour soup into a blender.
Remove the center piece from the blender. Make sure the lid is secure.
Place a clean towel over the opening to avoid splattering and blend mixture until smooth, about 15 to 20 seconds.
Return to the pot or Dutch oven. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with croutons and fresh grated parmesan cheese.