ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

I find it funny that when you fall in love with someone, and even more so when you marry/live with them, you kind of morph into an unintentional, uni-person at times. The things you eat blend, the lingo or nicknames you have for things become everyday vernacular, you want what they want (for their sake), and circumstances that make them sad, cut you straight to the bone.

Im the morning person who now consistently finds herself staying up late, and I swear to you we show up places in coordinating outfits that we dont notice until someone teases us. I sound like Ive lost all sense of myself, but for serious, I really think its crazy how much youre influenced when you dont even know it.

Ive tried to make a point this year of spending time with people that are positive and encouraging to be around and trying to be the kind of person that someone wouldnt mind being influenced by. Thats harder than youd think, would you believe my language has gotten worse despite said intentions?

I started thinking about this, because both Hugh and I dont care for raw tomatoes. We both love salsa, marinara and roasted tomato soup, but please dont put tomatoes in my salad. But it wasnt always this way, I grew up on raw tomatoes, lots of them, the first half of my life, a salad was routinely tomatoes and cucumbers with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (Mom! Im so grateful and I love you). We grow up and somehow the way we think or what we eat and the company we keep changes, and I find it pretty phenomenal that we refine ourselves little by little, most of the time without even realizing it. It happens right under our noses. So here I am, some version of myself but mostly a composition of people who have loved and influenced me in one way or another.

So this soup, while easy in preparation and simple in ingredients, is only as good as the tomatoes you! use (pa y attention, did you catch the life metaphor there?). If you have a local farmers market, roadside farm stand or grow your own, this is the time to use them. Regardless of them being roasted, the integrity of the tomato stands out. I thought it would be good with some homemade pesto croutons, or some smoked paprika if you want a bit of heat, but its just as comforting with a slice of crusty bread.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP // Serve 2 as an entree, 4 as a side

Because its summer and I prefer things lighter, I honestly did not add any cream. This is your choice. It will take an edge off of the acidity, but I thought a little cheese crostini balanced it out just fine.

1 1/4 lb. Ripe Tomatoes (about 4 Large Tomatoes)
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley
1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Organic Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half, optional
Fresh Oregano + Basil for garnish

Fresh Grainy Bread
Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the tomatoes and the half of an onion into wedges. Use your finger to push out some of the seedy parts of the tomatoes, but this is not a huge deal, just get out the big seedy parts, a bit intact is fine. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the chopped parsley and gently toss it with your hands. Tuck the garlic cloves somewhere in a tomato, so they dont burn. Roast on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and reduced to about half their size. Remove and cool slightly.
2. Warm the brot! h and di ssolve the tomato paste. Add the all of the ingredients from the roasting pan into the broth and let it gently simmer for 5-10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the bowl, or with a food processor or blender. The soup should be smooth, with some texture. If you dont like any texture at all, you could run it through a fine mesh sieve. Return it back to the pot, and add the cream to taste, if using. Taste for salt and pepper.
3. Serve with some toasted bread, or broil a few slices with a piece of mozzarella on top. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and oregano.