Tomatoes in the Winter...Yes Please!

Yesterday I was craving tomato soup, but opted to make butternut squash soup instead.  No matter how good it was, it wasn't tomato soup.  With the bottom about to fall out of our temperatures, I needed a little taste of summer to help prepare myself for the coming onslaught of frigid temps.

As Stephen Covey says, "Begin with the end in mind."

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheddar and Sourdough

This summer I learned how to put up tomatoes.  This winter I learned that I need to put up about a million times more tomatoes next summer.

I put 2 quarts of whole tomatoes, which I cut in half, into the oven to roast at 400 degrees.  I think that you could use canned or fresh however.  I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  I also took 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled, a little more olive oil and wrapped them up in some foil to roast along with the tomatoes.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, behold the beauty!  Roasted tomatoes are one of my favorite foods.  I get weak in the knees just looking at this photo.

I had to force myself to put this garlic in the soup and not just eat it straight out of the foil.  I have a weakness for roasted garlic too.

I crammed whatever left-over basil I had in the fridge in the blender, along with the tomatoes, the garlic, and about a cup of chicken stock.  Then I blended the heck out of it.

Finally, I topped it with a little sourdough toast and some cheddar cheese.

 

A few minutes under the broiler and lunch was served.  I think the key to this soup is the roasting of the tomatoes and the garlic.  Even though it seems like it takes a long time, most of it is hands off.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Cheddar and Sourdough

Serves 2 (at least in this house)

Ingredients: 

2 jars of whole tomatoes (depending on how many you have crammed in a jar) or a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes (this is an estimate)

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

4 Garlic Cloves (unpeeled)

A handful of Basil

Chicken Stock

2 slices of Sourdough Bread

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degree
2. Cut whole tomatoes in half and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap garlic drizzled with olive oil in foil.  Close it up and place next to the tomatoes to roast.
4. Roast everything for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.
5. Put basil, tomatoes, garlic (peeled after roasting), and half the chicken stock in the blender.
6. Pulse  adding more chicken stock as you do to achieve the consistency you like
7. Put the soup in mugs, ramikins, or any other single serving baking dish
8. Cut the sourdough toast into chunks and place it on the soup
9. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese
10. Place the soup with toast and cheese under the broiler for a minute or two.  Watch carefully or it could burn.
11. Enjoy!

 

Comments

[Kristina]

Welcome back to blogging! That lunch looks amazing!!

[basil oils]

This looks good. This is one of my favorite thing. I love this! This is very easy to make and a great. Find the recipe for Basil Oil and other nutrition supplement recipes at http://www.healthshop101.com/blog/basil-oils/ .

[Gastric Bypass Man]

Cool. This sounds really yummy and healthy with less load especially for people who are watching their weight. A real comfort food during the cold days.