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pqtex

Help rescue Spiced Tomato Soup!

pqtex
9 years ago

I prepared Spiced Tomato Soup (BBB pg 65 or see link and scroll to post by Linda Lou). I followed the recipe exactly. I should have listened to my instincts that the amount of bay leaves and cloves seemed like too much. It came out bitter. I tasted before adding the sugar, but I ended up adding all of it to try to cut the clove flavor and bitterness. Now it's too sweet, still slightly bitter and is still overpowered by the cloves.

The recipe called for 7 bay leaves and 1 tbs whole cloves. I would not put that much ever again!

I have not canned it yet. I'd like to get some suggestions about what I can do to "rescue" it. Can I safely add more tomatoes (a lot more) to cut the taste and still be able to can it? If there is something I can do to alter it and still can it, great. If I can't can the end result, I could freeze it. I just need suggestions before I pour it down the drain! I also don't want to waste time and additional ingredients remaking it into something else if it's a lost cause to start with.

Thanks,

Jill

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato soup thread

Comments (6)

  • dgkritch
    9 years ago

    I think I would simmer some plain tomatoes (maybe a couple of cups), add and equal amount of your prepared soup and taste. See if that fixes the flavor for you.
    If it does, you can "fix" the rest of the batch and can it.

    Since you wouldn't be adding any more low acid ingredients, the processing time would be the same.

    If adding tomatoes doesn't help, maybe it could be turned into BBQ sauce (cooking it down and maybe adding some liquid smoke and or hot pepper sauce, depending on how you like your BBQ) and frozen.

    Deanna

  • menopers
    9 years ago

    Can you somehow preserve it and use with your other recipes? Tomato soups or syrups can be used in other types of Mediterranean or other recipes, they apparently fight belly fat and lower high blood pressure.

    Perhaps you can make it a Mediterranean vegetable-based Gazpacho?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Belly Fat Fighting Mediterranean Diet Dish Lowers High Blood Pressure, Study Says

  • Lars
    9 years ago

    I would not waste more tomatoes by trying to dilute it. I agree with menopers that it should be left alone and considered a condiment - not a soup. I think you could use it when making an Indian chickpea soup recipe, as Indian dishes often have cloves in them. It might take you a very long time to use up this quantity, and so you might not want to save all of it.

    Lars

  • pqtex
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I've been able to salvage some of it adding more tomatoes, sautéed bell peppers, onions, garlic and cooked down to a not-so-bad spaghetti sauce. I may freeze what's left and use it as a base for things like that. Very disappointing, though, because I love tomato soup and was looking forward to having some on the shelf.

    Appreciate the suggestions, but not interested in making condiments out of it. I didn't like the flavor as it was, so I'm pretty sure wouldn't like it more concentrated.

    My second choice is to use Deanna's suggestion to add more tomatoes. It's good to know I could do it that way and still can it. My next question is why it wouldn't have to be acidified?

    Jill

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    My next question is why it wouldn't have to be acidified?

    Good question. Primarily because it is pressure canned. Note there is no acidification required in the original recipe either.

    Not that you couldn't add citric acid or lemon juice to cover the added tomatoes - I would. But you wouldn't be required to.

    Personally I'd use canned tomato juice to dilute it. And it already has the citric acid added.

    Dave

  • tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
    9 years ago

    I would consider canning as is and then when ready to eat, doctor it up, like a can of crushed or pureed tomatoes plus some cream, etc.

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