Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4-6 Large vine ripe tomatoes - a mix of heirlooms, cherries, and plum works well.
- 2 medium yellow onions
- 6-8 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 °F
Wash and core tomatoes then, depending on size, cut into halves or quarters.
Thickly slice onions into rounds.
Peel garlic.
Place garlic, tomatoes and onions slices on a large baking sheet with sides or roasting pan. Drizzle oil over vegetables. With your hands or a spoon, mix vegetables until coated with oil. Then spread them out so they are in a single layer.
Sprinkle with a large pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes and check for moisture. If there is lots of juice, pour off as much as you can into a large saucepan. Return vegetables to the oven and continue roasting until they are starting to brown, usually an additional 10-15 minutes.
Once vegetables are starting to brown, remove from the oven and transfer to the large saucepan with the juice. Add bay leaves and about 3/4 of a quart of chicken broth.
Simmer on low for about 30-40 minutes.
Add chopped basil and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove bay leaves.
At this point you can either use an immersion blender to puree your soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or blender. Working in batches, process until smooth. Return soup to pot and gently reheat, adding salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Serve in bowls
Suggested Toppings
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Grated sharp cheddar cheese
- A dollop of sour cream or yogurt
- A tablespoon of heavy cream
- Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
- Thin slice of toasted baguette
- Chili croutons
- Scallions, chives or roasted leeks
To make chili croutons take four slices any bread--stale is fine--and cut into half-inch squares. Toss with about a tablespoon or two of olive oil, a pinch of salt and chili powder to taste. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally until dry
This soup is thick and could also be used as a sauce for grilled poultry, fish or meat.
