Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Simple, fresh ingredients

What can you do with the abundance of tomatoes that are coming from your garden?  I created a VERY simple and delicious soup that can be eaten hot or cold.  All you need are a whole bunch of garden fresh tomatoes, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, basil, chicken stock and a bit of wine.  I used an immersion blender once everything was cooked.  This boat motor like blender is a great kitchen tool for soups, sauces, purees and smoothies.  

To begin, chop the onions and garlic and saute in olive oil in a large soup pot until very soft. Add tomato paste and 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes, stir for one minute. Quarter the tomatoes and rough chop the whole bunch of basil.  Add them to the pot and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes begin to break down.  Add 1/2 box of chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and use the immersion blender in the soup pot to puree the soup.  Make it as chunky or smooth as you like. Add 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream and adjust the seasoning to taste.

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Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

yield: ~3 - 4 Quarts   prep time: ~15 minutes   cook time: ~20 minutes   difficulty: Super Easy

Ingredients:

1 sweet onion--like Vidalia

3-4 cloves garlic

10-12 large, very ripe tomatoes

1 large bunch of basil

1/2 box chicken stock

1 cup white wine

1 Tbs tomato paste

1-2 tsp crushed red papper flakes

3-4 Tbs heavy cream

Salt and pepper (about 1 tsp of each)

Instructions:

1.  Chop onions and garlic
2.  Saute in olive oil in a large soup pot until very soft
3.  Add tomato paste and crushed red pepper--stir for one minute
4.  Add tomatoes, basil, wine and stock
5.  Cook until tomatoes begin to break down
6.  Use an immersion blender to emulsify the soup
7.  Season with salt and pepper
8.  Gently stir in 3-4 tablespoons of cream (or more if you like it very creamy)