You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto

I know what you're all thinking!  Everyone's doing Tomato Soup.  But, I have a surprise for you - Savory Monkey Bread!  If the Savory Monkey Bread didn't go so damn well with the soup then I would skip the whole tomato soup for you.  But, this tomato soup helped me to use up a lot of the basil that was lingering in my garden.  So, being the nice person that I am, I am sharing this with you in hopes that you too will be able to use up all of the basil lingering in your garden.

We start with 3 lbs. of Roma tomatoes

We cut them in half and drizzle olive oil, kosher salt and pepper all over them

We lay them out on a baking sheet and roast them for 45 min.

Your kitchen will smell fabulous!

Go pick all of the basil in your garden and some thyme if you have any.

Throw the roasted tomatoes in the pot and simmer for about 40 min.

Run the soup through the foodmill and serve hot or cold

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

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Ingredients:

• 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 T. good olive oil
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion ( 2 onions)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes with their juice
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 t. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 qt. chicken stock or water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Spread the tomatoes out on to a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
4. In an 8-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste the seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

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Servings: 1 bowl

Calories:  161

Total Fat:  11.9 g

Cholesterol:  9 mg.

Sodium:  1674 mg.

Protein:  3.0g.

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Stay tuned for tomorrow's post of Savory Monkey Bread!  You won't want to miss it. 

Sneak peek!