Rustic Tomato Soup

It’s been a banner year for tomatoes. I’ve been playing around with ways to use them before they end up in the compost bin. After some experimenting I came up with this tomato soup. It just feels like a classic bit of peasant cooking. It’s rich, cozy, filling and uses lots of tomatoes. Vegetarians can replace the chick stock with a veggie stock.

2-3 lbs tomatoes — halve, drizzle olive oil, dot with 6-8 garlic cloves (smashed, chopped) and salt.  

roast for 45 min at 425° and set aside

sauté in olive oil:

1/2 t red (or any hot) pepper

2 large onions - coarse chopped

1 T thyme

salt & pepper

add:

28 oz can of tomatoes (preference here for Muir Glen or Hunts)

4 c fresh basil leaves - rough chop

4 c chicken stock

the roasted tomatoes (and any liquid)

simmer for an hour or more

may need thickening — puree about 1/4 and return or do the “cornstarch and stock” thing

it goes so well with warm fresh bread and various cheeses