AMAZING, if you’ve got a WHOLE day to cook this sucker. The tomatoes roast at 200F for 8ish hours. The actual soup only takes about 30 minutes, if not less. It makes your kitchen/apartment smell fantastic for the day though. This is not for the time conscious, or after work meal, unless you’re reheating. However, it is a fun thing to learn and experiment with, and the results were well worth it. Apparently you can freeze roasted tomatoes for the winter, but we didn’t have any left over. So, next time you have absolutely nothing to do on the weeknds, try this one!

4 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved

6 sprigs fresh herbs

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 cups chicken stock, veg stock, or water

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Distribute herbs evenly over th etomatoes, drizzle with the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled but still plump, about 8 hours. The tomatoes can be frozen at this point: place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours. When frozen, carefully transfer them to sealable plastic freezer bags and store in freezer up to 4 months.

3. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

4. Stire in the tomatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, occasionally mashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon

5. Remove the bay leaf. Using a food mill or blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pot; add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.

6. Stack the basil leave stem-end toward you and roll cigar-style. Finely slice the leaves to create attractive ribbons. Ladle soup into 4 bowls, sprinkle basil over top and serve.

Tags: Basil, roasting, soup, Tomato