Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Soup

A Delicious and Healthy Vegetarian Soup 

The last Soup Monday at Colgate's Alumni Relations office was today, and since I was eating all the other soups that people brought in, I was obligated to make a soup. It took me a while to decide what to make, because all my favorite soups were taken. One day I had a tomato basil soup from the No. 10 Tavern in Hamilton, and that is what inspired me to make this soup.  I did not follow a recipe, but gathered ideas from other recipes and gave it a whirl before selling  my food processor!  :-(

You start with a simple set of ingredients - Tomatoes, Vegetable broth (other recipes call for chicken broth, so you choose. plus I rather not use canned, so use the boxed version), fresh basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, dried thyme, garlic, olive oil, chopped onion, chopped celery. Not pictured - tomato paste from tube, and roma tomatos.

I cut the tomatoes length wise and remove the seeds (I am sure you can leave them in, but I didn't) place them in a pan or a baking sheet (didn't want to make a mess of the over, so used a pan) and lightly drizzle olive oil and sea salt over them. Roast 400 degree F for 1 hour. Peel the garlic, and roast those happy guys too. Be careful not to burn them!  I did, and had to re-do!

While they are roasting, I cut up an onion and a few celery stalks, and sauteed them with olive oil and a little white wine. :-)  Cook the white wine off and make the onions sweat. You can do it all in one pan. I did it in two because I decided to do the celery as an after thought. Celery gives lots of flavor, so glad I did. I threw some thyme on the onions. That's the brown stuff.

Chop the basil fine, and set aside. I ended up using all the fresh basil in package, so lots more than pictured.

Place the cooked onions and celery in the food processor along with a dab of dill (I use from the tube). Dill is strong, so it's optional if you don't like. I put about 6 cups of Vege broth in the crock pot and turn on low to get warm with some spices (garlic/onion powder, white pepper, crushed red pepper and salt) This will be the liquid used in food processor with the roasted tomatoes and garlic.

Okay - now take those yummy tomatoes and garlic from the oven and put them in the food processor in batches with the vege broth. You can monitor how thin or thick you want. I actually didn't use all the broth, so maybe 5 cups. Then I poured everything back into the crock pot and added more crushed basil.

I noticed that the soup needed more of a tomato flavor, so I bought TOMATO PASTE in the tube.  Also, the soup needed more tomatoes, so I bought 7 Roma tomatoes and roasted them the same way. I blended them in the processor with the paste and salt and pepper and added to the crock pot with more basil.

It was delicious and filling. Great with Grain bread.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes (any kind) lots!
Fresh Basil
Salt Pepper
Whole garlic gloves (3-5)
Tomato paste (Italian from tube)
Thyme
Crushed red pepper
onion
celery
olive oil
parsley
some recipes call for oregano. (didn't use that)
Powdered garlic and onion
tsp. butter
white wine
Heat oven to 400 F, slice tomatoes, put in pan or sheet w/ little OO and salt. Roast garlic gloves. Heat up vege broth and add spices. Saute chopped celery and onion with OO, butter, & white wine.Cook off white wine, and cook onions to sweat.   Pulsate all ingredients with broth. Salt and pepper to taste, and lots of basil to taste.