The Starter: Roasted Tomato Soup

A family friend raved about this soup long enough, I finally decided I had to try the recipe. I haven't made home-made tomato soup before, I'm always concerned that it will taste like eating... well, tomato. Which, in my book, is not a good thing. Tomato sauces are wonderful, but not plain tomato, and especially not raw. I know, I know... I've been told I don't know what I'm missing by all the tomato-sandwich fans I know, but hey, I didn't CHOSE the way tomatoes taste. They were nasty to start with!

Anyway, I'll move on. This soup has a wonderful blend of flavors, and is very low fat, not being a cream soup. I drizzled mine with a little home made yogurt or cream, mostly just for looks but it tastes nice too.

Fresh Basil... mmmm...

Roasted Tomato Soup

• 3-1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 11 medium), halved
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12 fresh basil leaves

• Place the tomatoes (unpeeled), onion and garlic in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Cool slightly.
• In a blender, puree tomato mixture and basil in batches until blended and as smooth as you like.
  
• When ready to serve, transfer to a large saucepan and heat through. Serve with croutons or herb bread.

Original recipe from Taste of Home.

I made a double batch, so I simply added 10 minutes to the oven time.

I served this soup with fresh focaccia, perfect for dunking.

My Favorite Baked Potato Soup

Cold-weather comfort food.

The picture is not mine, but it's the same recipe with garnish. Mmm. Looks good.

2/3 C butter
2/3 C flour
7 C milk
4 large potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and diced. (about 4 cups)
4 green onions, chopped
12 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 C sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a large soup kettle, melt butter (I put the onions in here, I like them well cooked). Whisk in flour, heat and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk. Stir until thickened. Add potatoes, bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 1/2 quarts, 8-10 servings.