Food for the Ages

tomato dill soup — Silver Palate-style Tomato Dill Soup: Delicious!

My wild and weedy high-desert garden is winding down. The squash vines are spent, the onions are pulled and curing and now there are scads of Roma and cherry tomatoes crowding my kitchen bowls. Although we’ve been eating fistfuls of them every day, we can’t keep up so rather than leave them to spoil on the counter, this is the week I turn that generous mass of them into a delicious soup; something that freezes well and only improves overnight.

Batch Cook and Freeze for Cozy Winter Sipping

This is the classic Tomato Dill Soup from The Silver Palate Cookbook. It was one of their most popular soups in the shop, built on the deep flavor of plum tomatoes, a long slow cook of onions, fresh dill, and a whisper of allspice. The original calls for grated orange zest; I had no zest so I used orange flower water instead. It keeps the citrus note lighter and more floral, and it works beautifully with whatever mix of ripe and slightly underripe garden tomatoes you still have. Serve it hot with a spoonful of sour cream or chill it overnight for an even brighter cold version. Either way, it clears the harvest and fills the freezer.

Tomato Dill Soup – Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

Tomato Dill Soup (adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook)Serves 8–10; Preparation Time: 1 hour (includes cooking)Ingredients

Ingredients 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, 3 cups sliced yellow onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 finely chopped bunch fresh dill (plus set aside a few sprigs for garnish), salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 quarts chicken stock, about 3 pounds garden tomatoes (Italian plum, paste, or a mix), cored, roughly chopped, and seeded if they are very seedy or two 28-ounce cans drained Italian plum tomatoes if the garden is already finished, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, pinch of sugar, ½–1 teaspoon orange flower water (or the grated zest of 1 small orange), sour cream, for serving

Method Melt the butter in a heavy soup pot over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 5 minutes. Add half the chopped dill, season with salt and pepper and cook uncovered for 15 minutes more so the flavors can deepen. Pour in the stock and add the tomatoes, allspice and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Purée in small batches in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. (A food mill gives the silkiest texture if you have one.)Return the soup to the pot, stir in the remaining chopped dill and the orange zest/orange flower water (start with ½ teaspoon and add more to taste) and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper or a bit more sugar if the tomatoes are particularly tart. Serve hot or cool completely and refrigerate overnight. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of dill.

The soup keeps well for several days in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully in quart containers. When the garden is truly finished and the first hard frost arrives you’ll be glad you made this tasty soup.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings servings

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The last of the red Roma tomatoes from my garden.

For another great soup recipe try the simple but satisfying Potato and Leek Soup – Beloved Soup of All Cultures