Old Fashioned Tomato Soup

We have had this old fashioned tomato soup served at our dinner table for as long as I can possibly remember. Hence the name "Old Fashioned Tomato Soup". We had it for a winter lunch or dinner way back when I lived on that cold North Dakota Prairie where the winds howled and blew many a nights throughout the long winter months. It warmed up the bellies of all ten of us kids.

Guess what, I married this guy some 40 years ago and found out his mother and grandmother made this same "Old Fashioned Tomato Soup". (At least we had something in common.)Therefore, being we both grew up with this same tomato soup recipe, I have continued to make and serve it for the family for the past 40 some years.

I have searched a lot of different cookbooks looking for this recipe and haven't found one that has it in it. So I'm assuming my ancestors just dreamed it up on their own and it was just passed on through the generations, probably by word of mouth. It may be in some church cookbook or other cookbook out there, but I haven't been able to find this exact same recipe anywhere I looked. Anyway it is simple to make and consists of just a few ingredients.

Old Fashioned Tomato Soup

2 28 Oz. cans whole tomatoes or 2 qts. home canned tomatoes

1/2 gallon milk

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. salt

In a large saucepan or kettle heat the milk slowly. Do not bring it to a boil. In a separate kettle, heat the tomatoes with the salt and pepper added. Do not let them come to a boil either. If the tomatoes are quite large, you may want to chop them up slightly while they are heating When both the milk and tomatoes are heated, slowly pour the tomatoes into the kettle containing the milk.( Do not allow your ingredients to get too hot or the milk will curdle.) Stir to blend and serve warm with your favorite crackers. We always had it with saltine crackers, but that was a personal choice. Depending on family size, you cut this recipe in half if you prefer.

Source: Shirley's ancestors