March Leopard Recipe Feature
A Soup for All Seasons-Tomato Cashew Soup
Despite what everyone thinks about cruising, there are a fair share of gray days! Days where the wind whips and the rain pounds down and all there is to do is batten the hatches and hunker down with a good book or movie.
On days like this, I often find myself making soup, and tomato soup is almost always at the top of my list. There’s something about its sweet earthiness, combined with its vibrant color, that really maximizes the cozy factor. (It doesn’t hurt that it also pairs well with the ever-popular grilled cheese!)
What makes this recipe perfect for those of us who live on board is that it relies almost entirely on canned or dry ingredients – such as canned tomatoes, broth, and cashews – and fresh ingredients you can find almost anywhere in the world like carrots and onions.
Now, you may be wondering, why cashews? And the reason is simple. Cashews can be packed and kept for long periods of time with your other dry stores. When boiled and puréed, they form a cream that’s just as thick and delicious as dairy-based cream but they take up exactly zero of your prized refrigeration space. Rainy days may never be the same.
Ingredients:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped roughly
4 carrots, shaved and sliced into ½-inch pieces
4 stalks of celery, chopped roughly
2 28-ounce cans of whole plum tomatoes in juice (I like San Marzano)
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, plus more if desired
½ cup of raw cashews
2 teaspoons of salt, plus more to taste
1 bunch of fresh basil or 1 teaspoon of dried basil
½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
Special equipment: High-speed blender such as a Vitamix or an immersion blender
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until the edges begin to turn a dark brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth. There should be just enough liquid to cover the raw carrots and celery but depending on the shape of your pot, you may need to add more to cover. Add cashews and increase heat to high until liquid comes to a low boil. Keep at a low boil until carrots are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. Add salt, basil, and black pepper. Purée ingredients in a high-speed blender (or use an immersion blender) until silky smooth. You may opt to add more broth if you prefer a thin tomato soup.
*Note: If you don’t have raw cashews, you can use cream, milk, or plant-based milk instead.
