![Tomato Soup](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/09/10/dining/tomato-soup/tomato-soup-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Tomato Soup
Jennifer Steinhauer, Ted’s Bulletin
7473 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
7,473
About 1 1/2 hours
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Place the beans in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Set the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, then turn the heat as low as it can go and partly cover the pot so steam can escape. Simmer the beans, stirring them every so often, until they’re tender, anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on whether they’ve been soaked and how old they are. Make sure the beans are covered with water at all times, adding more hot water to the pot as needed if too much evaporates.
Meanwhile, slice off and discard the tops of the tomatoes, and squeeze out and discard the seeds. Thinly slice the tomatoes and set them aside.
Once the beans are done cooking, season them to taste with salt. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the beans. (Discard the remaining liquid or reserve for another use, such as adding to a soup.)
Place the oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion sizzles and starts to take on a little color at the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sliced tomatoes, cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans with the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Uncover and allow the beans to boil until the mixture has thickened significantly but remains soupy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Season the beans to taste with salt one final time and serve hot. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days. You can rewarm any remaining soup in a pot set over low heat, stirring occasionally while you heat and adding water if needed.
I will accept the challenge of making a recipe as written - at least the first time. ;) Maybe the NYT Cooking folks could help out with the challenge by adding measurements to ingredients like "large onion" or "3 tomatoes". It seems easy to add "large onion - 12 oz" to recipes. I always have a kitchen scale at the ready when I cook. I note the # of grams I use in recipes that are vague.
Starting here and now, I accept the challenge as written in the attached article, to listen carefully and follow exactly these types of recipes, in order to experience what the author intended. This results of this lovely gem of a recipe, however, will vary because three large tomatoes, especially Roma-type, is not a standard I can exactly match.
I found a similar recipe, Tsaramaso Pyn, in "Mankafy Sakafo: Delicious Meals from Madagascar" by Jill A. Donenfeld (iUniverse, 2007). With a mortar and pestle, mash 2 tsp garlic, 1 1/2 tsp ginger, & 1 tsp salt. Sauté the garlic mash in 1/4 cup hot oil with 1/2 chopped red onion. Then add 6 chopped plum tomatoes & 1 oz tomato paste. Add the cooked beans (4 cups), as per recipe, & sauté a bit. Then add enough water to barely cover them, let simmer covered for 15 mins. With spices, it's tastier!
Next time I make this I intend to use olive oil. I made it with canola and it was too bland for my tastes.
I love the idea of following recipes as written, to truly experience the food as it intended. But for now, it's a pandemic, so I'm trying this with cherry tomatoes (quartered) and pinto beans. It isn't the prettiest color, but it is delicious!!
Recipe from Jeanne Razanamaria Adapted by Genevieve Ko So who's recipe are we following, exactly?
I read the comment sections of this recipe right as I was about to make it. And then I was so close to making another white bean and tomato stew. BUT I’m so glad I didn’t! This was the perfect meal! Simple yet delicious, I didn’t have to think. I soaked the beans over night and then simmered them for about 1 hour. I then threw everything into the Dutch oven and left it. I mean it was so perfect and easy! I would highly recommend. Flavor bomb with the tomatoes!
I'm eating it right now. It's nice. Beans are creamy. I used olive oil because I did not have Canola oil and since I doubled the recipe I used one red and one white onion. It's very tomatoey. I'm thinking, its nothing special but then I'm wolfing down bowl #2.
A Roma is not an inherently large tomato. Measurements of tomatoes and onions would be more helpful by either weight or measured volume, not by eyeballing what's "large."
I know this dish well from my days in Madagascar. I recommend adding garlic to the recipe at the same time as the onion. Serve over aromatic rice, alongside some boiled greens, such as spinach (include some of the water from the boiling pot), with a hefty side serving (also placed on a portion of the rice) of your favorite hot chili sauce or hot salsa. Tsaramaso’s flavor becomes richer over time—often better on day 2.
This is the beauty of Malagasy cuisine. Folding a few ingredients into something magical. Served there as a Peace Corps volunteer and really happy to see this cuisine featured here.
Wasn’t impressed with this recipe. 1 cup of liquid isn’t enough to make it a true soup, and the onion overpowered the broth. I recommend at least 5 small roma tomatoes in case you can’t find really large ones for more tomato flavor. I think this recipe might be better with canned San Marzano’s and some chicken broth for more flavor, or more of the bean liquid.
For the authentic Malagasy experience, make it as written but also keep your most fiery, smoky hot sauce nearby to enliven it if you're bored! (source: briefly lived in Madagascar)
Loved this!! Have vegan family member so I made this, pureed some silken tofu w tomatoes to make it creamy, added toasted cumin, and cooked orzo in the broth, my toddlers decimated this!! We had leftovers so I added shredded chicken and cumin, served on rice plus cilantro and some tortillas and my husband was happy!’
I fully admit that I took some liberties with the recipe as written: used canned beans (!), olive oil instead of canola, added one garlic clove, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a pinch of smoked paprika. But I think it retained the spirit of the recipe and was still delicious, if a bit more highly spiced!
Definitely a keeper. Made it with royal corona beans and cherry tomatoes because that’s what was on hand, and otherwise followed the recipe. Remarkably delicious for how simple and easy it is. Would increase by 1.5 to 2x.
For those of you asking for exact measurements for this “no recipe” recipe, use your imagination and your cooking skills. It’s not rocket science! Make it your own!
At a friends suggestion I added 1 large clove of garlic and 2 tsp smoked paprika . I used a can of tomatoes that I puréed with an immersion blender . The result was terrific
This was delicious. We made it exactly as the recipe said. We had some very nice heirloom white beans which cooked up quickly. (Sometimes grocery store beans take forever to soften. Are they old?) We let the stew sit for a couple hours before serving to let the flavors blend. It did have nice depth of flavor for being so simple. The whole family enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again, maybe next time with home-grown tomatoes. It always comes down to the quality of your ingredients, right?
This is a stunning recipe. We make it with alubia blanca from Rancho Gordo and first cook the beans using roughly the Rancho Gordo way (simmered with kombu, bay, onion, garlic, carrot; soaked in salt and baking soda). Don't lose any pot liquor from the beans, just use it all and adjust the water added. Simple and yet stunning.
I’m so good uuii
Highly recommend doubling or even tripling the broth amount. Was great with some crusty bread.
Great served asina vary (with rice) ;D
9 ounces of Roma tomatoes seems like the right amount and finished stew looks like the photo
Made as is and while it was absolutely delicious, it wasn't as red as the picture at all, and I could imagine more tomato taste would be even better. So please, can we have the weight for the tomatoes. Otherwise, I thought the simple flavors of the onions and tomatoes were sublime. I will make again with more tomatoes or try good canned, as the quality of fresh tomatoes in winter here is mediocre at best.
I made this for dinner tonight. Sometimes the simplest things are the best. Absolutely delicious. I served it with a green salad and crusty bread. A big hit with the entire family.
I have been making a similar recipe for years and it is a wonderfully quick meal on its own (if one uses rinsed canned beans) or as a side dish. I do add some chopped garlic to the onion and then a heaped teaspoon of Spanish smoked paprika. It transforms the dish into something quite glorious.
I know this dish well from my days in Madagascar. I recommend adding garlic to the recipe at the same time as the onion. Serve over aromatic rice, alongside some boiled greens, such as spinach (include some of the water from the boiling pot), with a hefty side serving (also placed on a portion of the rice) of your favorite hot chili sauce or hot salsa. Tsaramaso’s flavor becomes richer over time—often better on day 2.
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