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Roasted Tomato Bisque

Source of Recipe

From "The Loving Kitchen" by LeeAnn Rice


Recipe Introduction

"I grew up on canned tomato soup made with milk and grilled cheese sandwiches made with single-wrapped cheese slices. While I still enjoy the canned stuff my mom made, I love homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches or paninis made with a variety of cheeses and fillings. Mozzarella and pesto grilled cheese is especially good with this soup. Roasting the tomatoes and vegetables brings out their sweetness. It's an extra step but definitely worth it."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and quartered
â—¦ 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained with juice reserved (use canned whole plum tomatoes, if you can't find San Marzano)
â—¦ 1 onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
â—¦ 2 leeks, white part only, sliced
â—¦ 1 stalk celery with leaves, cut into ½-inch slices
â—¦ 1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
â—¦ 5 cloves garlic, peeled
â—¦ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon black pepper
â—¦ 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, divided
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ 6 basil leaves, torn


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15 by 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Arrange fresh and drained tomatoes, onions, leeks, celery, carrots, and garlic in a single layer on the jelly-roll pan. (If they don't fit in a single layer, use a second pan.) Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are brown at the edges, stirring once after 15 minutes. Keep the vegetables in a single layer so they caramelize.

Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer to a pot along with any accumulated juices. Add the reserved tomato juice and 1 cup of the stock. Use an immersion blender to purée the vegetables or purée them in batches in a blender, making sure not to fill blender more than halfway full with each batch.

Add the remaining 2 cups stock and the thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the cream and warm just to a boiling point. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve garnished with basil.

Makes 8 servings