Mannah from Heaven

In the form of tomato soup. This shit is the Bo-bah-zee. That's a step up from the bomb, for those of you who don't know.

I got this recipe from my friend Niki (who finished her marathon, more on that later). Apparently there was/is this restaurant in L.A. called the Gypsy Cafe, and they had this tomato soup, and everyone wanted the recipe. There also was/is this column in the L.A. Times that would hunt down recipes that readers couldn't find, and once they printed this, and Niki saved it from a bear or something. I don't know, I was trying the soup for the first time when she was telling me all this and I couldn't really concentrate.

It's weird (to me, at least), because it's not what I normally think of as tomato soup. Being Italian might have something to do with that. My favorite is still a semi-clear broth with lots of vegetables (including celery of course). My grandma Africano, who wasn't really my grandma but you know how it goes, used to make a great one with rice in it. Campbells makes a really good one (for shelf soup) called Tomato Garden. That's probably my favorite soup out there on the market.

Anyway, the point is that this soup is different, so you kind of have to think outside the box. For example, don't expect it to be dark red. It's pink. The first time I made it I fucked it up but good, and it was pretty awful. I was on very little sleep and read the directions all wrong. The next time I did it it came out perfectly. In other words, if you don't like it, it's because you did something wrong.

Couple tips: pour a little of the half and half in with the potato mixture when you process it. It goes smoother that way. And don't try, as I did, to use a little mini food chopper and make it a couple cups at a time. It won't work. You need a full on food processor. I bought a cheap one at Target just for this recipe, and it made all the difference. Also, I used hot tap water and the bouillon didn't really dissolve very well, so I suggest heating the water on the stove to make it really hot. And I skipped the oregano at the end (I dunno, just didn't go) and added cheese and garlic croutons.

Enjoy!

Gypsy Café Tomato Soup


1 T oil or butter
1 red onion, chopped
1 large potato, baked and peeled
4 cups tomato sauce combined with ½ tsp. Baking soda
2 cups half and half
2 T grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp. Chicken base or boullion
½ cup hot water
dried oregano


Heat oil or butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Place onion and potato in food processor and puree until smooth. Combine tomato sauce (with baking soda) and half and half in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add potato-onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and smooth. Add cheese. Mix chicken base with water and stir into soup. Add dash oregano before serving.

4-6 servings.





Pictures courtesy of the LG VX6100 camera phone, my new favorite thing in the Universe.

Habit of taking pictures of food courtesy of Patinella genes. (Not to be confused with Gene Patinella, who does it too, and in public. Goddamn, I'm clever as hell).

Matching dishware courtesy of Briton Pyne.