walton_eats

This recipe is an amalgam of a whole bunch of recipes I've tried over the years, but mostly from an obscure book called The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking, which I picked up on a sale table at Barnes & Noble one afternoon.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 lbs ripe Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp basil, chiffonade
2/3 cup heavy cream
pinch or two of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
whole basil leaves to garnish
Garlic Croutons (recipe follows)

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is softened but not brown.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and garlic, then add the stock, white wine and tomato paste, with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, half-cover the pan, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Add the basil and process the soup in a blender or a food processor, or in the pot with an immersion blender. Then press the soup through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing hard to extract as much of the liquid as possible.

Add the cream and the cayenne and heat through, stirring. Do not allow the soup to approach boiling. Adjust seasonings. Serve with a garnish of fresh basil leaves and Garlic Croutons.

Garlic Croutons
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 small loaf pugliese, in 1-inch cubes, about three cups.
3 cloves garlic
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Move oven rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 350F. Put garlic through a press or finely mince or crush and combine with oil and salt in a small bowl. Let garlic infuse the oil for about 30 minutes. Pour the oil through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Toss bread cubes in oil until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan and bake, stirring every five minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet to room temperature.