Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup

I have been searching for a new tomato soup recipe. I’ve tried many versions over the years, and just never found any that captured my imagination and made me want to make it over and over again. I happened to get a deal on some good roma tomatoes, odd for this time of year, so I felt that I needed to try once again to find a good tomato soup recipe. And this is it. Roasting the tomatoes with the spices adds a wonderfully smoky, spicy taste to this creamy soup. My husband tasted it and his eyes grew wide as he said, “Wow, that’s really good.” This is now on our regulars list.

Equipment

sheet pan
food processor
4 quart pot

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 475° F.

2. Halve tomatoes lengthwise and lay them cut sides down in a jelly-roll pan. Brush generously with 3 tablesoons oil and sprinkle with garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Roast tomatoes until their edges are charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Scrape tomatoes, oil, and herbs from pan into food processor. Process until not quite smooth (leaving small chunks and charred black specks).

4. In a saucepan cook onion in remaining 2 tablespoons oil until translucent. Whisk in roasted tomato puree, broth, salt, and wine. Then whisk tomato paste. Heat the cream and whisk in to the tomato mixture. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in Parmesan and bring soup to a simmer.

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Source: adapted from Food Network and Gourmet Magazine