Sheri' made a pot of creamy delicious tomato soup on a recent Sunday night. It went well with Small grilled cheese sandwiches and a simple salad of greens (from our own garden!) dressed with vinaigrette and accompanied by bleu cheese and candied walnuts. 3 lbs. plum tomatoes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
2 Tbsp. unalted butter
4 shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 cups rich vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or more to taste
1 cup half-and-half
3 Tbsp. fine chiffonade of fresh basil, or chopped thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half and place, flesh side up, on a wire rack set on top of a sheet tray or roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and sugar.
Roast the tomatoes in the preheated oven until very soft and starting to brown. This might take as long as an hour, but check after 45 minutes. Take tomatoes out of the oven and let cool while you:
Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Saute the chopped shallots until they become translucent, then add the wine and continue the saute as the wine evaporates. Add the veggie stock and cayenne to taste. Add the half-and-half and continue to simmer the soup for 10-15 minutes.
Add the roasted tomatoes to the soup and puree it well with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the fresh herbs, if using.
