Ingredients
Method
Roast the Tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Prepare two rimmed baking sheets or roasting pans. Core tomatoes and cut away any soft spots. Halve each tomato (or quarter if particularly large) and place cut side down on baking sheets, ensuring each tomato has contact with the baking sheet and a little wiggle room. Do not overcrowd!
- Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Place baking sheets in oven and allow to roast, checking and rotating pans every 15 minutes. Roast for about 30-45 minutes total, or until the skins of the tomatoes are blackened and the juices at the bottom of the pans have reduced and started to caramelize. Allow tomatoes to cool slightly.
Make the Soup
- While the tomatoes roast, chop the onion and carrots. Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and carrots and allow to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and golden brown. This should take about 20 minutes—don’t rush, go low and slow!
- Once the tomatoes have cooled, the skins should easily come off the flesh by simply lifting them off with your fingers. After all the tomatoes have been skinned, add them and their juices to the pot, along with the chicken broth.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down a little and the soup has reduced slightly. Remove from heat. Add the chopped basil.
- Using either an immersion blender, or by transferring your soup to a standing blender (see note), puree the soup until it is your desired consistency. I like mine to have a little bit of texture, but if you like a velvety smooth soup, you can puree to your heart’s content!
- Add the salt and pepper, adjusting to taste. If the soup tastes too acidic, you can add a tablespoon of sugar, or ¼ teaspoon of baking soda (see note). When the soup is seasoned well, stir in the heavy cream.
- Serve in bowls with an extra dash of cream and julienned basil on top. Soup stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- When fresh tomatoes are not readily available, canned tomatoes work just as well. Use three 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes and skip the roasting and skinning steps.
- When using a standing blender to puree any hot liquid, be sure to leave several inches of space between the liquid and the lid. While blending, hold the lid down with a pot holder. The steam can force the lid off of a blender and spray hot soup all over your kitchen. So use caution!
- Sometimes even after cooking down for a while, tomatoes can have an unpleasant acidic bite. If this is the case, a little sugar can be added (start with a tablespoon, then taste again). Alternatively, a small amount of baking soda will chemically neutralize some of the acid. Start with ¼ teaspoon, and taste to see if it needs more. I advise against using more than ½ teaspoon, as too much baking soda can give a bitter taste.