Fresh Tomato Soup With Basil (ATK)

• portions: 4-6

Ingrédients

5 pounds ripe beefsteak or plum tomatoes, cored and quartered; plus 1 pound, cored and diced medium

2 onions, chopped

8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole; plus 1 clove, minced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Sugar

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine quartered tomatoes, onions, whole garlic cloves, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon sugar in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring once or twice, until tomatoes are brown in spots. about 1½ hours. Let cool 5 minutes. Working in two batches, process roasted tomato mixture in food processor until smooth. (Pureed mixture can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

2. When ready to serve, combine diced tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl and marinate for 30 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan. add pureed tomato mixture, and simmer over medium heat until diced tomatoes are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Serve.

Notes

A simple recipe transforms summer tomatoes into a hearty soup.

You think you know tomato soup. It's velvety smooth and creamy—perfect for a cold winter day. But there's another tomato soup-one made without cream, so you can really taste the tomatoes. It's usually flavored with onions, garlic, and basil and is the perfect way to use a surplus of ripe summer tomatoes. I quickly discovered that soups made with just tomatoes and seasonings were best. Added liquids, such as chicken broth or tomato juice, diluted the tomato flavor. But even without adding any liquid, my soup was watery. To concentrate the tomato flavor and evaporate excess moisture, I switched from the stovetop to the oven. I roasted the tomatoes-tossed with onion, garlic, and olive oil-and then pureed them in my blender to make an intensely flavored roasted tomato soup. Ninety minutes in the oven had concentrated the favor of the tomatoes at the expense of freshness. For my next test, I reserved a pound of chopped tomatoes and added them to the finished soup just before serving. Everyone in the test kitchen liked the fresh flavor they added but complained about the firm chunks of tomatoes floating in my smooth soup. When making salsa, I salt tomatoes to soften their structure and break them down: I tossed the reserved tomatoes with a bit of salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. I added the salted tomatoes to a pot with the pureed roasted tomatoes and let everything cook for just five minutes. My soup now boasted complex flavor heightened by tiny bursts of fresh tomato. -Eva Katz

Depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, you may need to thin the soup with a little water.

Cooks country August/ September 2007