One of the best things about the end of summer is that while most of our vegetable garden has come and gone, our tomatoes are still going strong. And while I have pretty much exhausted my cravings for tomato and cheese sandwiches, I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye to my favorite garden fruit. Er, veggie. Whatever.
Today, I picked up a beautiful loaf of jalapeno cheese bread at one of my favorite bakeries, and it was just begging to be turned into a grilled cheese panini. And what goes better with grilled cheese than tomato soup?
I've made this recipe many times, but it's always a little bit different. I use Tyler Florence's recipe as a guide, but alter it a little bit every time I make it. Today, I wanted a nice light and fresh-tasting soup, so I kept it very, very simple, omitting butter and cream and keeping my spices limited to a touch of sugar, a dash or two of salt, and heavy on the course ground black pepper.
After roasting the tomatoes and garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes, you toss them all in the blender and you're done. How easy is that?
It might seem a bit strange to some of you that I added sugar to the soup, but sugar has a way of bringing out the flavor in tomatoes, so don't knock it until you've tried it. It just takes a little bit - less than a teaspoon for this recipe will really round out the flavors. I can remember eating sliced tomatoes with a sprinkle of sugar on them and thinking it was the best thing ever - there's just something about it.
For a little bit of spice, try some red pepper flakes, and don't be afraid to experiment with fresh basil, oregano and a bit of cream and butter.
Hope you love this quick and easy recipe! It's a late-summer staple around here, and if you're a tomato lover like I am, you're sure to love this.
Enjoy!
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