Crockpot "Cream" of Tomato Soup
Yes, it's tomato season in New Hampshire! This is a very nice, tasty, easy soup... My digestive system can't handle too much fat (I lost my gallbladder many years ago), so I use fake "cream:" Evaporated milk, with a bit of thickener (bread in this case), does a pretty good job of standing in for the "better" stuff. :) If you want to seed and peel your tomatoes, go ahead, but I don't bother. I figure there's extra vitamins and taste in the peels and seeds, and the blender does a good job of hiding them. I also specify fresh basil, but feel free to use dried if that's all you've got - you'll probably want to cut the quantity in half, though... I just used fresh because I have a basil overpopulation "problem" along with the tomato boom!
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped coarsely
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz.)
Place tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, sugar, and water into the slow cooker and stir it up so that the salt, pepper, and basil are all submerged. Cook on low for 6 hours. Puree the soup - an immersion blender works well. Break up the slices of bread, stir them into the soup, and let them soak five minutes or so. Add the evaportated milk and blend the soup again until it's smooth and you can't see any lumps. Continue cooking on low for 30-40 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings if necessary.