Tomato Basil Soup to Warm You up on a Cold-cold Night

It has been so cold lately, that all I crave for dinner is a piping-hot bowl of soup and some garlic or cheese sandwich to go with it. There is no better feeling than a hot bowl of soup on a chilly-chilly night. It is classic, comforting and convenient to make, specially after work. It is easy to open a can of soup, pop it in the microwave and wrap up dinner in no time. But when you make the soup, you control what goes into it, specially the sodium and MSG, which is BTW the main taste-maker additive in your can of soup. So why not spare thirty minutes and serve dinner made with all your love and warmth. 

Winter is the best time to channel the soup-lady in you, and today I am channeling my inner Rachel Ray and bringing to your recipe box a tomato basil soup recipe, that you could make in under 30 minutes.......well not exactly 30 if you decide to oven-roast your tomatoes, which takes about 30 minutes. You could either oven roast the tomatoes or give them a quick roast on your gas-top grill. 

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RECIPE SERVES 4 : For the oven-roasted tomatoes: plum tomatoes, cut in half - 3 pounds 

cloves garlic, peeled- about 8
tablespoons olive oil - 3 tbsp
For the caramelized onions: tablespoon olive oil -1/2tbsp yellow onions, thinly sliced - 2 medium

For the soup: basil leaves- 1/2 cup  dried oregano - 1/2 tsp 

vegetable broth- 2-3 cups ( depending on the consistency you desire)
salt and pepper, to taste
STEPS :

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place halved tomatoes and garlic cloves on the baking sheet and drizzle over 3 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, you can make the caramelized onions: Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to an open pan and place over medium heat. Add the onion slices, cook, stirring occasionally. Check onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden in color. This usually takes about 15 minutes, when done on a medium flame. 

Once tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, allow them to cool them, before putting them in a blender/food processor . Puree it into a smooth paste, add basil and caramelized onions and blend again. 

After blending, transfer back to pot, turn to medium low heat and add in oregano, vegetable broth, salt and pepper to taste. From there you can add in any additional add-ons like cheese, butter or cream, as per your taste and preference.  Allow tomato soup to simmer 10 minutes before serving.

To serve, garnish with whipped cream, basil leaves and serve with grilled cheese/garlic bread, as per your preference. 

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