Tomato Basil Soup

B does not like modern art. He’s not a fan of art museums, but he especially avoids any museum titled with the word “modern art.” He did take me to the SF MoMa when we started dating 6 years ago, but that has since stopped lol.

Now that he lives in NYC, we are surrounded by amazing art museums. I did convince him (and my visiting brother) to try the Guggenheim to see the Agnes Martin exhibit, but that sort of minimalism didn’t go very well.

Tomato Basil Soup | Obsessive Cooking Disorder

B doesn’t like modern art because he always says, I could have done that.

To which I say, but you didn’t.

Tomato Basil Soup | Obsessive Cooking Disorder

One piece that has always caught my eye was Andy Wahol’s Campbell Soup Cans pop art, which is conveniently located in the NYC MoMA. First exhibited in 1962, the 32 canvases, each featuring a different flavor, was grouped together like in the grocery, and rocked the art world. It reignited the age-old debate about art versus commercialism (which remains a fascinating discussion even now, as it came up during my Art History classes at Stanford).

Tomato Basil Soup | Obsessive Cooking Disorder

Fun fact: the first flavor introduced by Campbell was tomato, in 1897.

Another fun fact: The art dealer Irving Blum originally told Warhol to sell each piece cheap while gaining exposure. Then he soon realized selling the cans individually would cause the collection to lose its power, so he went to all the owners and bought back all of the sold pieces. Then Blum paid Warhol $1000 for the collection, which he held on for decades, then finally sold it to the NYC MoMA for >$15 million. (source)

Tomato Basil Soup | Obsessive Cooking Disorder

Tomato Basil is one of my soups, and has so many variations. This is a really easy recipe adapted from Ina Garten. Perhaps, one day I’ll paint it.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, with their juice
3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cups chicken stock or water
parmesan cheese, shredded, to top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper; spread on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In a pot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with olive oil until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken stock, and red pepper. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. To puree, I put the soup (after letting it cool) into a food processor and blender. Serve topped with cheese and a slice of bread. Enjoy!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

29 Comments

  1. Goodness, that soup looks absolutely amazing! *-* I haven't had tomato basil soup in the longest time–I definitely need to try this soon!!

  2. i also tend to not appreciate art that i believe i could make myself, but then again, i have next to zero artistic ability! looks like a perfectly textured soup to me. 🙂

  3. Tomato soup so easy, but very rarely it actually tastes as something worth to remember … your recipe sound just right though, thank you for sharing – I will try it.

  4. I must agree with B – I just don't get art! So when we visit museums I just sorta lazily walk around daydreaming when it will end and where we'll eat after haha! This soup looks amazing. Just what we need today – are you guys on the path of that big snowstorm??

  5. YummO! I can't wait to try this with a nice crusty grilled cheese sandwich! Perfect for the weather right now which switched from spring to winter overnight!