not from a can

My Grandma asked if I had any recipes to share for a cookbook and I thought this tomato soup would be a nice to include. I am not a fan of tomato soup, apparently because I have never had really good tomato soup. I got this from the February 2009 Family Fun magazine. The first time I made it, I used some tomatoes from my garden (February is prime tomato time in FL!). I made some this afternoon and had a bowl right away, it's that delish. I did not use only cherry tomatoes, since they were very expensive at the grocery this morning. I used 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, several roma tomatoes from the farmers market that I had left over (and were really needing to be used) and 2 big beef steak tomatoes from the produce stand along the highway. I will be serving it with dinner tonight and freezing some, it makes a lot. I left out the onion and thyme because I didn't have any on hand.


Roasted Tomato Soup

6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup whipping cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.

2. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.

3. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary. (I use my immersion blender)

4. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with grilled cheese croutons . Makes about 10 cups.