Roasted Tomato Soup

A visit to a local farmer’s market today inspired me to make a homemade tomato soup. Originally hoping to find chanterelles or porcini mushrooms (sadly there were none to be found), I instead walked away with a handful of ripe grape tomatoes, which I proceeded to roast for added depth of flavor.

I don’t really follow recipes unless I’m baking, so for this dish I improvised. I chopped the tomatoes in half, lengthwise, tossed them in a bowl of sliced onions and garlic, then seasoned with olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, salt, and basil. At the last minute I threw in some sliced carrots, then laid everything out on a baking sheet and roasted at 400 degrees for about half an hour. Delicious smells ensued.

Melting some butter in a pot, I threw in chopped garlic, then added the roasted tomato mixture, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, and a dash of sugar. After simmering for a bit, I poured everything into a blender and pureed the soup until it was just the right texture – not too smooth and not too chunky, but somewhere in between.

The final result was quite flavorful, and I accompanied the soup with one of its pals, the good ‘ole grilled cheese sandwich…nom nom nom indeed. I think next time I want to try adding some red bell pepper for another dimension of flavor, but for now I’m in tomato soup bliss : )