I'm on a big soup tear. My goal for the fall and winter is to always have soup in the freezer, ready to go for toasty, hearty meals. It's super comforting to know that if I'm too tired to make dinner, I can just thaw out a soup and eat in ten minutes. It also helps me resist the siren call of take out to know that there is something tasty and healthy (or healthyish at least) in the freezer.
This tomato soup has been in heavy rotation in the soup rota so far. It's perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich or a flaky cheese biscuit, both of which should be dunked into soup for an optimal dining experience. It freezes beautifully, so you can make a double batch and freeze it for your hunger emergencies. Don't worry about that large amount of garlic here, roasting it with the tomatoes makes it mellow, earthy and sweet and not at all sharp. You can cut it down if you really want to, but I wouldn't. I would add more, even. You almost certainly aren't eating enough garlic, unless you have an acute vampire-phobia.
garlicky roasted tomato soup:
- 2 pounds of the nicest tomatoes you can find, halved or quartered
- one whole bulb of garlic, peeled
- 2 shallots, quartered
- a glug of olive oil for roasting
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2/3 cup cream
- basil for garnish
Roast the tomatoes, garlic and shallots, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, at 425° until the vegetables are softened and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
Combine roasted tomatoes and garlic with chicken stock and cream and puré in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Heat in a pan over medium heat. Serve with some finely chopped basil and ideally, some hot cheesy biscuits. Fend off those vamps!