late season heirloom tomato soup

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Serves 4-6

Late summer tomatoes, those that are ripe in September and even into October, are oftentimes the best. In fact, September is a month where most of the country’s farmers markets showcase the best tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and corn of the season. Enjoy them while they last.

This recipe is something you can literally throw together at a moments’ notice. It is a robust soup made from roasting a pan full of late summer heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, and onions. That’s it. The broth is from the juices given off by the vegetables as they cook. At the end, you just puree and season to taste. I think this soup is terrific in any kind of weather; hot or cold. Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches, a platter of fresh fruit, and/or a big green salad.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 small onion, thinly sliced

4-5 lbs heirloom tomates, any variety

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 -3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 tsp sugar

sea salt

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1. PREP: Preheat the oven to 425. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together until combined. If you are using large tomatoes, remove the cores.

2. TOSS: In a large roasting pan, toss the onions, tomatoes, garlic, and basil leaves with the olive oil mixture. Toss again with sugar, salt and red pepper flakes.

Note: If you are using large tomatoes, stuff the cored portion with some of the basil.

3. ROAST: Place the pan into the oven and roast. Depending on their size, your tomatoes will give off lots of juice. Check on the pan every 10 minutes or so. Drain the juices from the pan into a heat-proof bowl. If you leave the juices in the pan, your mixture will cook in the liquid and this will not result in the same flavor you will get by roasting. The roasting will caramelize the onions and tomatoes a bit giving them a delicious depth of flavor. So, depending on your tomatoes, you will drain the juices and save it to add back to the soup later. The tomatoes should cook until they are tender, 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your tomatoes. If your tomatoes are a little charred, that is all the better.

4. PUREE: When the vegetables are done, pour the mixture into a soup pot. Add the reserved juices to the pot. If you have a hand-held stick blender, you can puree the soup directly in the soup pot. If not, puree the soup in your blender working in batches. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your taste.