Spicy Provençal Tomato Soup
 
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 stalks celery, with leaves and coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 pounds fresh tomatoes, unpeeled, halved, and seeded (seeding is optional)
  • 1 teaspoon honey (see Note)
  • 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock (see Note)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 to 10 sprigs parsley
  • 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 teaspoon ground Piment d’Espelette (see Note)
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Chopped Vegetables (recipe follows)
  • Basil Chili Oil (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. In a 5-quart nonreactive Dutch oven, melt butter and olive oil. Add celery and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly golden. Add tomatoes, honey, chicken or vegetable stock, wine, bay leaf, parsley, and herbes de Provence. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
  2. Discard bay leaf. Let cool slightly before blending with an immersion blender or food processor. Add Piment d’Espelette, salt and pepper to taste, and blend once more. Serve warm or refrigerate overnight to chill. Ladle into bowls and top with Chopped Vegetables and drizzles of Basil Chili Oil.
Notes
Sugar may be substituted for honey. Shannon Grochowski recommends using homemade chicken or vegetable stock, if possible. Another chili powder, such as the fruity and slightly sweet aji amarillo, may be substituted for Piment d’Espelette, which is a red chili pepper from the Basque region of France.
Recipe by Victoria at https://victoriamag.com/shannon-grochowskis-burgundy-home/