Aren't they beautiful?!? And I grew them! Finally, after 17 years of trying to grow tomatoes in the forest I have succeeded! I have several varieties here...plums, romas and heirlooms...and this is the most tomatoes I have ever picked at one time!
So what to do with them? Fresh tomato soup - there is nothing like it. First the tomatoes are roasted and then they are pureed, skins and all, so all of that fresh flavor stays...blended with some onions, garlic and a little cream - oh yeah! I had planned to serve this to the mister for dinner but a friend called and wanted to go to lunch - and it occurred to me that she would find nothing out there better than what I had just made so I invited her over and we dined (and dished) like royalty!
There was still plenty for the mister, though, not to worry, he didn't go hungry. This is a very rustic soup, I did not peel the tomatoes and I only processed them in the food processor for a few short pulses - I want little bits of onion and tomatoes in my soup - like I said, rustic.
Roasted Tomato Soup
1 pound tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup cream
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
salt and pepper
Preheat broiler. Remove stems, bottoms and cores from tomatoes, place on a shallow roasting sheet and set under the broiler for 6 minutes, or until the skins just begin to blacken and bubble a bit. Turn the tomatoes over and repeat. Remove tomatoes from the oven and pour the tomatoes and the juice into a food processor and pulse about 5 times, leaving bits of tomato. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over moderately-high heat, cook the onion in the olive oil until the onion is lightly browned on the edges and has begun to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour the onions and garlic into the food processor and process until only little bits remain. Return onions to pan, pour tomatoes into pan and gently stir in the cream. Heat until thoroughly heated but do not boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with Parmesan cheese. I usually add chopped basil as a garnish but I didn't have any on hand - it's good either way. Serves 4.
"Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself." Samuel Johnson
