[boychef]

Hi everyone,

recently i tried making a roasted tomato soup. it tasted great except that the colour is orangy-red instead of deep-red.

How can i make my soup redder and more attractive? by the way, i use only fresh tomatoes and mirepoix, and no canned or tomato paste in my recipes

[GhettoRacingKid]

where they fully ripe?

Alittle tomato paste will help deepen the color.

I made a roasted garlic, tomato basil soup and it was red but it wasnt deep.

[AllanMcPherson]

The "deep red" tomato soup (or sauce) is something I kind of get nervous of. Its a kind of myth, the veracity of which is perpetuated by brands like Campbell's and Prego. Honestly, tomato soup (especially ones with an m.p. base) will lean to the orange. Its a sign that you've used real ingrediants. That said poor, or out of season tomatoes will give you a pale result. If you want a darker soup somethings to consider:
1) Take the roasting farther. Really darken the tomatoes up, ideally over a long time on low heat. Try seeding them, tossing in olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper, and a little sugar then roasting. Save the pulp for latter in the soup.
2) Tomato paste. A little will go a long way. Once you've sweated your m.p. drop a table spoon of paste with the veg and stir until its all coated. Let the colour deeped a little, then deglaze.
3) How are you pureeing? If you're using a blender (stand up or stick) you're also incorporating air into your soup. This will automaticly lighten the colour. Try a food mill.

--Al

[teamfat]

If you have a grill or a smoker, you may want to try smoking some of the tomatoes instead of just oven roasting them. In addition to the difference in taste, they may come out a bit darker red than oven roasted ones.

mjb.