Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil Pistou
It’s officially soup season, and I’m here for it. I can’t wait to dust off my soup pots and get right to work. Soups are one of my favorite things to make— I love transforming humble ingredients into a pot of deliciousness. I also love their simplicity; soups are anything but complicated, which makes them a joy to cook.
One of my favorite soups is this rustic roasted tomato with basil pistou. It’s an elevated approach to a classic soup—it starts by roasting tomatoes, which brings out depth of flavor, and finishes with a basil pistou (rather than adding basil to the soup), which really allows to basil to shine. Don’t waste good tomatoes in this recipe. Instead, use Romas that are not quite ripe so that they’ll stand up to the heat of roasting.
ROASTED TOMATO SOUP WITH BASIL PISTOU
SERVES: 6-8
PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK TIME: 1 hour
TOTAL TIME: about 2 hours (this includes tomato roast time)
GOOD COOK PRACTICES: Read the entire recipe before you begin cooking. Get out all ingredients and cooking tools; chop and prep all ingredients prior to cooking (Mise en place). Remember that times are given in recipes as a guide – always keep an eye on what you’re cooking and use your senses (how does it look, feel, taste, etc.)
WHAT YOU NEED
2 ½ lbs. fresh Roma tomatoes, still somewhat firm
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), plus more for sautéing
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper & sugar
a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
1 small yellow onion, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
3 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. double concentrate tomato paste
2 cups good quality chicken stock (homemade preferred, Better Than Bouillon as second option)
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup basil leaves, torn
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and dry tomatoes and cut into halves lengthwise. Place cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle evenly with ½ cup of EVOO. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and several pinches of sugar. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the tomatoes and roast for 30 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to collapse. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of EVOO over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots and onion and a few small pinches of salt and cook until both carrots and onions are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until very fragrant and tomato paste darkens a bit, about 1-2 minutes more. Add roasted tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes.
While soup is simmering, make basil pistou: put basil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to break down garlic, then slowly drizzle in EVOO and puree until a smooth sauce is achieved. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Set aside until ready to serve.
After soup has simmered, check to make sure carrots are perfecty soft (if not, continue simmering a bit longer). Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth (or do this in batches in a food processor or blender). For a much silkier texture, you can strain the puréed soup through a fine mesh sieve or food mill.
Reduce heat to low and stir in cream little by little until desired texture is reached, and soup is heated through (you may or may not use all the cream). Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, adding more salt and up to 1 tsp. of sugar if necessary if soup is too acidic. Ladle into serving bowls and drizzle with basil pistou. This soup is fantastic alongside a classic grilled cheese.
