SEAT OF MY SOUL

Already it’s that time of year when the sun sets so much earlier and the chill is in the air.  Personally, for me, there is nothing in this world more comforting that a warm, steaming bowl of homemade soup, crispy bread with melted cheese on top!   Soup is one of those dishes that I just don’t think to make for some reason, but when I do, I’m always reminded that I need to do so more often.

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ pounds tomatoes
4 onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons high-quality, aged balsamic vinegar
2 cups tomato stock (you can use vegetable stock)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 rustic baguette, sliced
A few leaves of basil to garnish
½ – 1 cup parmesan, grated  

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly cut an “X” into the bottom of the tomatoes, just cutting through the skin. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Remove the skins, cut each tomato in half and place in a deep roasting dish. Some people may want to remove the seeds, but seeds don’t bother me.

Add onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar and a generous swirl of olive oil to the roasting dish, stir to combine Add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Heat up a cast-iron dutch oven on medium heat and melt butter. When it starts to bubble, add the flour and whisk continuously until it turns a light golden brown. Add pureed tomatoes to the roux and stir. Add stock and turn heat to medium-low. Let cook for 15 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Lower oven to 350F. Drizzle baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Switch to the broiler and broil for one more minute, or until cheese is golden.

Dip toasty, cheesy bread in the hot soup. Garnish with chopped basil.

I promise you, you will LICK YOUR SPOON…..go on, give it a go!!

This entry was posted on June 12, 2010 at 7:54 am and is filed under Uncategorized with tags baguette, cheese, cripy bread, recipe, soup, Tomatoe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.