Sweet twist: Elevating traditional tomato soup recipes

Tomato soup is undeniably one of the favourite soups among Poles. This is even reflected in everyday language because who hasn't heard the saying, "I'm not tomato soup for everyone to like me"? It should have a deep, aromatic taste. It can be served with pasta or rice and can be enriched with cream or left as is. In every home, it's made a bit differently, just like broth.

In the summer, there's only one way to make tomato soup: with fresh vegetables, which have no competition at that time. Outside of the season, it's better to prepare it using tomato paste, canned tomatoes, or passata. The base of the soup remains unchanged. It's the broth to which you just add a chosen ingredient, and you have a delicious tomato soup.

Do you add tomato paste or another tomato-based product directly to hot broth? That makes them lose part of their taste and aroma. It's worth sautéing them beforehand or briefly simmering them with finely chopped onion, garlic, or herbs like oregano or rosemary.

How do you season tomato soup? We usually reach for salt and pepper. However, there's an important addition associated with desserts: sugar. Italians, masters of tomato-based dishes, have used this trick for years. This addition beautifully balances the acidity of the vegetables, giving the tomato soup a more delicate taste. Sugar should be added to the hot soup to dissolve the crystals.

Tomato soup can be enriched with sour cream. It's a traditional method. Many people also opt for Italian mascarpone cheese, which makes the soup creamier. Heavy cream also gives the soup a velvety texture. However, these additions have a lot of calories. Well-seasoned tomato soup without cream, but sprinkled with fresh parsley or dill, also tastes excellent.