Today was a soup day. It was 48 degrees when I woke up. We put on lots of layers and went to the flea market. It was cold and crisp and really felt like fall. A perfect day for soup.
I pulled out pots and pans and spices and fresh herbs and cooked away all afternoon. I made Mushroom, chicken, acorn squash soup with wild rice, and roasted tomato bisque. I even finished up the day with another one of Shauna’s recipes. Blueberry crisp. But the bisque. It was delicious. A little spicy. Warm. Filling. Healthy. Hit the spot. I toasted a baguette and dipped it into the hot soup. Mmm… Really, so delicious.
Ingredients
For roasting the tomatoes:
- 10 (2 and ½ pounds) Roma tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the bisque:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne)
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 T white wine vinegar
- 1/4 C red wine
- ¾ cup (6 oz.) heavy cream (or half and half) (warmed up so it won’t curdle) (thank you to my sister for educating me about this!)
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
For Roasting the tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. When roasted, remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes.
For the bisque:
- In a 5-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions, celery, carrots, and red pepper flakes with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, bay leaf, dried thyme, dried oregano, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes, fish out the bay leaf and using an immersion blender, puree the mixture. Or working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat. Add the cream and whisk until smooth. Add the basil. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Serve warm. And with a toasted baguette. Or a fancy grilled cheese sandwich. Or just eat it plain!
I adapted the recipe from this website
Gina DiMartino 