The last of my pear tomatoes have ripened on the windowsill, so today it was time to make some soup. I had just enough tomatoes for a medium saucepan full, and it is great for dinner tonight. Adjust this recipe as needed, the amount of tomatoes is what drives the rest of the recipe. Any tomato will do, but I used the nice meaty Romas I grew this year....
Olio Oliva, a splash
1 medium onion, diced
Red wine, your choice
Vegetable Stock (available in quarts)
pear tomatoes, skinned and seeded
Fresh Basil
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Oregano
Half and Half
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sugar to taste
I start by sweating my diced onion in olive oil over medium heat, while I skin and seed the tomatoes. All of the tomato guts get fed to the chickens, and they love it on days I process tomatoes...
Once the onion is softened, add in a cup of a good full red wine (I used the last of some Cab-Sav today, but Merlot, Shiraz, or whatever you have on hand will do just fine) and allow to come to a simmer. Add the tomatoes all at once along with enough stock to cover, and bring it all up to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes or so until the tomatoes are tender.
Take a hand-held mixer, (I call mine a boat motor...) and puree the mixture in the pot over medium heat until it is completely smooth. Bring back up to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and partially cover it. Let the soup reduce and thicken, stir it periodically.
Wash and finely chop all of your herbs, and use as much or as little as you prefer. Add them all at once along with a pinch of sugar (to cut the acidity), stir them in and let them cook for a few minutes, covered.
Turn the heat off, and add a sufficient shot of Half and Half to smooth out the soup, then taste, and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Any kind of sandwich and a mug of hot tomato soup will go just fine with the Missus and Monday Night Football tonight...
Cheers!
