CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP RECIPE WITH FRESH TOMATOES RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.
• Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Steps:

• Set up an ice water bath: large bowl, lots of ice, a little water
• Place a strainer or colander in sink and bring a pot of water to a boil, 4 inches deep
• Using a paring knife, remove the core from the top of each tomato and score the bottom of the skin of the tomato with an X
• When water boils, gently place tomatoes in water and let them roll around 1 full minute
• Transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath using a spider or tongs
• Cool and peel tomatoes, letting them drain a bit as you work in the strainer
• Slice and chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl
• Heat a soup pot over low heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan
• Add the butter, and when it melts into oil, add Vidalia onions and season with salt and pepper
• Do not let the onions brown
• Let them sweat 10 to 15 minutes and add 1 cup water to onions, raise heat to medium-high, and let the water absorb and cook the onions to absolute mush
• Add tomatoes, basil and stock and cook at medium boil 20 minutes to break down tomatoes
• Remove basil stem and puree the soup using an immersion blender or transfer to food processor or high-power blender and puree, then return to pot
• Simmer gently over lowest heat until ready to serve
• Top with a few small leaves of torn basil