On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 15:34:06 GMT, " <> wrote:

>We made vegetable soup last night from an Alton Brown recipe.
>It was very good, but I prefer a more tomato-based broth (like the
>good old Campbell's vegetable soup).
>
>The recipe is basically leeks, green beans, potatoes, carrots, corn,
>diced tomato (fresh), garlic, and 2 quarts of chicken broth/stock.
>
>What would you change to get the tomato-ey broth?
>
>The liquid quantity was just right, so I think you would have to
>replace some of the stock. My wife thinks tomato sauce, but I'm not
>sure about that.

Store-bought fresh tomatoes are hardly ever ripe enough for soups.
Unless you have home-grown tomatoes (this time of year, you'll need
your own greenhouse unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere),
you'll get better results from canned tomatoes. Not tomato sauce or
tomato paste, but canned tomatoes (whole, diced, or whatever texture
you want).

Canned tomatoes are funny that way: because really ripe tomatoes won't
survive the transportation and handling needed to sell them in stores,
the best commercial tomatoes end up canned, juiced, or sauced. (If
you're in Southern California, an ill-kept and useful secret is that
the Stater Bros. house brand of canned tomatoes is especially good.)

--
Chris Green