Roasted Tomato Soup With Basil

It is no secret that I am a picky eater. One of the many things that I don't really enjoy eating are tomatoes. I don't like fresh tomatoes. The weird thing about my dislike for tomatoes is that I love ketchup, tomato soup, pasta sauce, and some salsas. My absolute favorite of these items is tomato soup. I love a nice bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. My mom would always make that for us on a cold or rainy day. Well it is summer now, and we don't really have cold days for at least a few months, but I do for some reason have a lot of tomatoes. What better thing to do with fresh tomatoes than turn it into a delicious homemade soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup With Basil

• 4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 6-8 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced [use only 1/2 tsp if you used dried]
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced [use only 1 tsp if using dried basil]
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan on a rack. Peel garlic.

Cook onion, oregano, basil, and sugar in butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).  Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.

Divide soup among 8 bowls.

 Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Caroline