What a magical, mysterious flavor! From a single leaf, foraged from a wild tree native only to Oregon and California. It makes the best tomato soup!
I was so excited to see Tomatoes as the mystery ingredient for the first stage of the Steemit Iron Chef challenge, created and hosted by @progressivechef. My entry is a starter course -- a cold tomato soup with a cocktail. This has become my favorite way to make tomato soup. It would be a hit in any fancy restaurant. The flavors are so ethereal and mysterious, but sweet and delicious! The secret is a single leaf from a wild shrub - the Oregon Myrtle tree.
The wild Oregon Myrtle tree (Umbellularia californica) goes by many other names. It's often called California Bay Laurel, California Bay, or California Laurel. But that just makes for a lot of confusion, I think. It's not related to the Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) that provides the Bay Leaf used in soup and stew. And neither are related to the English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) or the Portugal Laurel (Prunus lusitanica), which are not real laurels at all -- in fact, they are toxic! I'll stick with Oregon Myrtle to reduce confusion. Sometimes I call it Myrtlewood, because so many people in Oregon know this plant for all the tourist souvenirs made from the wood of larger plants.
This is such a simple soup, so easy to prepare. But the flavors are magical and memorable. The soup itself is only four ingredients: olive oil, onion, tomatoes, and a single leaf from the Oregon Myrtle. I just sautee a chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Then I add the tomatoes and the Myrtle leaf, and simmer until the soup smells so good that I can't wait to eat it!
I like using frozen homegrown tomatoes for this soup. I add the whole, frozen tomatoes to the onions and let them cook on low until they have thawed and broken down completely. When the soup is hot, I remove the Myrtle leaf. Usually I just serve the tomato soup hot, with the seed and skin included. That's homestead style!
But @progressivechef challenged us to "elevate" our dish. So I put the soup in a blender and then strained it. Once it was cool, I topped it with finely chopped Italian leaf parsley and Rose-of-Sharon flower petals. It does look nicer this way and the smooth texture works well for a cold soup.
What do I have to drink with my soup starter course? A nice cocktail! IT's a Black Locust Flower Gin and Tonic. I showed how to make it during my Baby Dolphin Party. I would serve this soup to any company. The volatile oils of the Myrtle leaf perfume the whole dish. With each bite, the flavors run through your whole head -- so refreshing! So tasty!
What Do You Think?
I hope you get to try Oregon Myrtle Tomato Soup sometime. It's delicious!
- Have you used Oregon Myrtle in cooking?
- Does Oregon Myrtle grow near you?
- Would you try my Wild Oregon Myrtle Tomato Soup?
- Do you like your tomato soup warm or cold?
I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.
I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!
Thanks @progressivechef for creating the Steemit Iron Chef contest series.
Plant List
Oregon Myrtle - Umbellularia californica - leaves, all year
Bay Laurel - Laurus nobilis - the common bay leaf in stores
English Laurel - Prunus laurocerasus -- NOT EDIBLE!!
Portugal Laurel - Prunus lusitanica -- NOT EDIBLE!
Rose of Sharon - Hibiscus syriacus - flower petals
Haphazard Homestead
