Okay, so I’ve been meaning to try and whip up that Nordstrom Tomato Soup for ages. You know the one – it’s just got that something, right? Finally got around to it the other day, and figured I’d share how it all went down.
Getting Started – The Hunt for Ingredients
First things first, I had to get all my ducks in a row, ingredient-wise. I pulled up a few recipes online, kinda mashed them together in my head, looking for the common threads. Most of them called for pretty standard stuff: canned tomatoes (the good kind, San Marzano if you can find ’em, makes a difference, I tell ya), heavy cream, some chicken broth, onions, garlic, carrots, and a bit of basil. Oh, and butter, can’t forget the butter.
So, I made my list and off I went to the store. Grabbed a couple of big cans of whole peeled tomatoes. I like to crush them myself, feels more authentic, you know? Got a nice yellow onion, a few cloves of garlic – I always add a bit extra garlic, just my thing. Picked up a couple of carrots, not too many, just for that subtle sweetness. And a carton of chicken broth. Found some fresh basil too, which is way better than dried for this, trust me.
The Actual Cooking Bit – Getting My Hands Dirty
Back in the kitchen, I got my big soup pot out. First thing I did was chop up that onion. Not too fine, just a rough chop. Same with the carrots. Minced up the garlic. Then, I melted a good knob of butter in the pot – probably a couple of tablespoons. Once that was all foamy, in went the onions and carrots. I let those soften up for a good 5-7 minutes, stirring them around so they didn’t catch.
Then I tossed in the garlic for another minute, just until I could smell it. You don’t want to burn the garlic, that’s a rookie mistake. After that, I poured in the canned tomatoes. I crushed them up with my hands right into the pot. Messy, yeah, but satisfying. Added the chicken broth next, enough to cover everything well. Threw in a pinch of salt and pepper. Some recipes call for a bay leaf, so I chucked one of those in too. Why not, right?
I brought that whole concoction to a boil, then turned the heat down low, slapped a lid on it, and just let it simmer. I think I let it go for about 30-40 minutes. You want all those flavors to really meld together. The kitchen started smelling pretty amazing around then.
Once it had simmered down and the carrots were super soft, I fished out the bay leaf. Then came the blending part. I used my immersion blender, which is a lifesaver for soups. Just stuck it right in the pot and whizzed it all up until it was smooth. If you don’t have one, you can carefully transfer it to a regular blender, but do it in batches, and be careful with hot liquids!
After it was all smooth and velvety, I put the pot back on low heat. This is when the magic happens. I stirred in the heavy cream. Don’t boil it after adding the cream, just heat it through gently. Then I chopped up that fresh basil and stirred most of it in, saving a little for garnish. Tasted it, added a tiny bit more salt. Some folks add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but I find the carrots do a pretty good job of that.
The Grand Finale – How Did It Turn Out?
And that was pretty much it! I ladled it into a bowl, put a little swirl of extra cream on top (trying to be fancy), and sprinkled on the last of the basil. Man, it was good. Really good. Smooth, creamy, rich tomato flavor. It wasn’t exactly like Nordstrom’s, because, let’s be real, they probably have some secret weapon ingredient. But it was darn close, and for a homemade version, I was super chuffed.
It’s definitely one of those comforting soups, perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ll be making this again, for sure. It wasn’t complicated at all, just needed a bit of patience with the simmering. If you’re a fan of tomato soup, give this a whirl. You won’t regret it.
