How to Make Authentic Italian Tomato Soup

Italian tomato soup is a hearty and warming dish. It makes a wonderful appetizer or lunch. Some Italian tomato soups are made with only tomatoes, onions, tomato sauce, and herbs. These soups are simmered over a low heat to bring out all the beautiful fresh flavors. Other soups feature cream, pancetta, celery, garlic, and other ingredients, which complement the tomato flavor.

You can make this soup with fresh or canned tomatoes. If you are using a can, make sure it is a good quality brand because a homemade soup is only as good as the ingredients you use to make it, and that applies to any soup recipe. A pumpkin soup made with a good quality brand of canned pumpkin can be just as tasty as a fresh pumpkin soup recipe.

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An Easy Recipe for Zuppa di Pomodoro

The following recipe makes enough soup to serve eight people. It is up to you whether or not you add the heavy cream. It depends on the kind of flavor and consistency you like. Some people love creamy broths and others prefer their zuppa di pomodoro without the cream.

The pancetta is also optional and if you want to make a meat-free recipe you should omit it, and switch the chicken broth for vegetable broth. This is a very simple recipe to follow and you will find that the combination of fresh vegetables, herbs and flavorings give this soup an amazing flavor.

What you will need:

• 14 oz chicken broth
• 3 finely minced garlic cloves
• 2 chopped yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes, 28 oz each
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 chopped ribs celery
• 2 finely chopped carrots
• 16 oz heavy cream (optional)
• Pancetta (optional)
• 2 handfuls of croutons
• 1 handful of grated fontini and parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Heat the oil in a big pot over a moderate heat, and then add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook the vegetables until they are soft. Stir in the garlic. Crush the tomatoes in your hands and add them to the vegetable mixture. Add the broth, tomato sauce, thyme, parsley, basil, and salt and stir well.

Bring the soup to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for twenty minutes, stirring often. Keep the heat low because if you overheat tomatoes they get bitter. Puree the vegetables with an immersion mixer or do it in batches in a food processor or blender. Stir in the heavy cream if you are using it.

Transfer the soup to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the croutons over the top. Sprinkle the grated parmesan and fontini cheese on top, and then broil until the cheese melts.

How to Make Authentic Italian Tomato Soup

If you enjoy making homemade soup recipes, you will love making pumpkin soup. Not only are there hundreds of ways to make this tasty dish but a good recipe for pumpkin soup will be fun to follow and easy to prepare.

Find all the best pumpkin soup recipes at PumpkinSoup.org

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The Italian Kitchen Essentials

A great deal of emphasis goes into the right preparation of an Italian dish, and the right Italian kitchen essentials are the cornerstone of this preparation. From the right herbs and spices to be used in the dish, all the way down to the pots and utensils that are used to make the food it all matters. Each aspect of the kitchen seems to work seamlessly and in unison, to create each and every delightful culinary masterpiece. This combination of tools and natural items, allows for a taste that few can resist.

Tools Of The Trade

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If you are concerned about the Italian kitchen essentials, then you are going to need to pay close attention to the tools that you will be using to make each dish. There are a handful of items that your kitchen must have, in order to be prepared for each and every possibility. The most important of these tools is of course pots and pans, and without these items you are going to find cooking next to impossible. You are going to need a various collections of pots and pans, and there seems to be one for each and every chore that will be performed in your kitchen. As far back in time as can be recorded, pots and pans have been the main tool used in ensuring the cooking was performed. Today these pots are used to make dishes that are modern and exciting, and they are still used to make the dishes that started the Italian food industry as we know it.

Having The Spice Rack Stocked

Easily one of the most important aspects of Italian kitchen essentials would have to be the find herbs and spices that are used in the dish to make it what it is. If you do not have a full array of spices at hand to make various meals, you are going to be left unprepared. These spices are an absolute must, if you are going to make traditional Italian meals just as much as it is equally important if you are going to be adventurous with your cooking. An Italian kitchen without spices is like a restaurant without tables and chairs. You will not find a kitchen the does a lot of cooking unprepared, without the spice racks full and ready for duty.

Fresh Ingredients

Italian kitchen essentials are an absolute must in order to be able to cook throughout the week, and this would have to include fresh ingredients as well. Without fresh ingredients in your kitchen, you can be sure that things will just not taste as planned. Canned goods do not have the same texture or pop, as goods that are freshly prepared and it will be noticed. As a matter of fact, even the youngest of culinary connoisseurs can pick out the canned versus fresh ingredients in a dish. This is why it is best to stay fresh, when you are working in the kitchen. Your family will thank you, and you will be proud of your work.

The Italian Kitchen Essentials

Anna Fiori writes Italian food related articles for the Good British Food website at www.goodbritishfood.com

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Italian Herbs

Anyone that has cooked in a kitchen that even somewhat resembles an Italian kitchen can easily tell you just how important the Italian herbs section of the kitchen really is. This area that seems to be well away from everything else is either a small ledge garden, or a section of the kitchen where it is cool and convenient to store these herbs. These herbs along with spices are what make a good dish great, and without these ingredients you can bet that your recipe will simply fall flat. Knowing how to keep fresh herbs is actually key to a successful kitchen, and if you know what you are doing you can have herbs to last quite a few recipes with one shopping trip.

Cost Versus Replacement

Herbs

One of the first things you will notice about Italian herbs is just how expensive they really are. You can actually spend a great deal of your shopping budget on herbs, if you are not paying attention to what you are doing. While the dried herbs will do the job if need be, you can be sure that no right minded Italian is going to want to resort to that measure. Fresh is where it is at, and you need to be able to keep the herbs you do buy for a while before they go bad and cannot be used anymore. Keeping the herbs fresh is very important, if you want to keep cost down while shopping for your foods at the market.

How To Store Fresh Herbs

When you are planning to store fresh Italian herbs, you are going to want to follow a few basic rules. These rules will help you keep the herb stash that you have longer5, than if you elect to just leave it laying around to dry out. If you are going to do this, it may just make sense to buy the dried herbs to begin with. First you will want to wash the herbs in cold water, and in doing so you will also want to remove any stems that appear limp or dead. It is also a good idea to snip the ends of the herbs, and this will help in the packing process. You will want to place the herbs in a container of water, but you will want to be sure that you do not completely submerge the herbs in the water you have in the container. After the herbs are in the container, it is time to cover the herbs with some form of plastic like a bag or wrap keeping it loose. When in the fridge, you will want to periodically check the water the herbs are in, if it appears murky you will want to change this water for fresh water. This will allow you to extend the life of your herbs by at least a week in this manner.

All But Basil

It is important to note that all Italian herbs can be stored this way except basil. This herb should be left out of not only water and plastic, but also refrigeration as well. This is one of the exceptions to the rule that the crisp fresh herbs are best.

Italian Herbs

Anna Fiori writes food related articles for the Italian Traditional Food website at www.italiantraditionalfood.com

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