It’s rare that, as a single adult with no children, I get to enjoy the simple pleasure of a snow day. As a kid, my sister and I were among the first kids in the neighborhood to zip up our parkas, lace up our boots, and start rolling the base of a snowman in the front yard. Hours later, red-nosed and soaked through to the skin, we’d head back inside, change out of our wet clothes, and go to the kitchen where my mom would have a pot of homemade soup or chili or goulash on the stove. There is nothing better to eat after coming in from the snow than a hot bowl of soup. It warms you through and through. Potato soup. Brunswick stew. White chicken chili. Classic chicken noodle.
Cold weather still inspires my mother to make soup for dinner, although now that she has a new immersion blender, her recipes have become a little more adventurous. Yesterday’s winter storm gave her the perfect excuse to create a snow-day menu complete with, you guessed it, homemade soup. Roasted tomato soup, to be exact. The recipe is easy, and the ingredients are staples we have on hand in the pantry year round. And the results—delicious.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 28-oz. can plum tomatoes with juices
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together the tomatoes, ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
In an 8-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the onions garlic, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
Turn heat off. Using an immersion blender, blend at low speed until tomatoes are at desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed.
