Tomato Velouté
Italian Tomatoes, Smoked Onions, Garlic, Hot Sauce, Lemon Oil
Chef Naomi Pomeroy of Beast | Portland, OR
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Adapted by StarChefs | October 2018
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped smoked onions
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 rounded tablespoons Italian tomato paste
2¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2½ cups drained Pomì chopped tomatoes
2 cups milk, plus additional as needed
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon fish sauce
⅛ teaspoon Tabasco
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
Lemon-pressed oil
METHOD
In a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low flame, heat oil, add onions, and cook 8 to 10 minutes. When onions are lightly caramelized, add garlic, tomato paste, salt, sugar, and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to separate from the mixture, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, decrease heat slightly, and simmer until tomatoes darken a bit, about 15 minutes. Add 2½ cups water and gently simmer 20 minutes; remove from heat. Transfer half the soup to a Vitamix blender with half the milk and cream. Remove the plastic insert from the lid of the blender and replace it with a kitchen towel to allow some steam to escape. Purée the soup, starting on low speed, for about 1 minute. Pour into a separate saucepan. Repeat with remaining soup, milk, and cream. To test the consistency of the soup, pour some soup from a spoon; it should pour easily in a steady stream. If it doesn’t, thin the soup slightly with an additional 1 cup milk. Over low heat, add fish sauce, Tabasco, and zest to soup. Ladle soup into small bowls, top with a drizzle of lemon-pressed oil.
