This post is a bit nostalgic, as this was the last recipe I made in the nano-kitchen, but we left L.A. before I had a chance to write it up. A very simple recipe designed with the idea of using ingredients hanging around before our departure from California. It turned out so delicious! Plus, it was a nice match for the weather we were having then. Now that the thermometers are wonderfully stuck in the high 90’s, the thought of soup is not particularly appealing, but this one would work equally well chilled.
ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
8-12 ounces of grape and/or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 shallots, cut in half
1 garlic clove, unpeeled
kalamata olive oil (or another olive oil of your choice)
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
vegetable stock (or water)
2 Tbs orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
chives for garnish
Place the tomatoes, shallot pieces and garlic in a bowl and add enough olive oil to just coat them lightly. Transfer them to a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper, set the tomatoes with the cut size down. Sprinkle some salt and pepper all over, and a splash with balsamic vinegar.
Roast in a 425F oven for 20-25 minutes, until the tomato skins and the edges of the shallots start to get brown. Remove from the oven, let it all cool slightly, and using gloves peel off the skin of the tomatoes (you can leave them on if you don’t mind their texture in the soup). Squeeze the garlic out of its peel, and transfer it together with the tomatoes, shallots and any liquid accumulated in the pan to a food processor. Process it until smooth, pour into a sauce pan over medium heat, and add enough vegetable stock to give a consistency you like. Let it come to a gentle boil, add the orange juice, orange zest, taste for seasoning, and serve with chives sprinkled for garnish.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: I had a mixture of grape and cherry tomatoes that needed to be used, and a couple of yellow grape tomatoes went into the mix too. Feel free to improvise, nothing can go wrong with this soup: add different types of herbs, or go for a cumin or cayenne blast. I had planned to make some parmiggiano crisps to serve with the soup, but the electric burners in the nano-kitchen failed, and I was left with a big lump of cheesy mess. Once the weather cools, I’ll revisit this soup – cheese crisps included – and add some mushrooms to the roasting pan. I bet a roasted tomato & mushroom soup will be very flavorful.
ONE YEAR AGO: Turkey Meatballs
TWO YEARS AGO: Focaccia
Bewitching Kitchen 
Looks simple and delicious perfect for summer. Hope your house is on its way to being fixed.
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Tree is gone, roof repair starts next week…. yeah, we are on the way to get this over with! 😉
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Delicious! I love tomato soups – especially with bread. 🙂 This soup will no doubt bring back some memories. I love when food is attached to a memory. It allows you to relieve it every now and then. 🙂 I second Greg’s comment…hope your house repairs are underway and going smoothly!
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Isn’t it amazing how food brings back so many memories? I have one particular sushi we had in L.A. quite often that I would like to re-create, but have no idea where to start… oh, well – something to set as a goal, right?
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Tomato and orange soup! That sounds like a wonderful combo. Brian had a first attempt at making ketchup the other day, using a base of roast tomatoes and herbs. The things people do when they have the time eh?
Roasting tomatoes and peppers is definitely the way to go to bring out all sorts of wonderful flavours 😀
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Joanna, making ketchup at home is one of my projects for “soon” – you know how this type of stuff goes… but I hope you will blog about it to give me that needed push 😉
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Kalamata olive oil – how interesting, I don’t think I’ve come across that before. What a great idea serving this soup chilled… the orange must add a different twist – so refreshing too. Very nice!
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Trader Joe’s sold this huge bottle of kalamata olive oil – we’ve been through three while we lived there, and I brought one, unopened, with us in the car. I absolutely LOVE it! I’ve seen similar products for sale in the net, but – of course – much more expensive.
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That sounds delicious, Sally, and leave it to you to clean out the fridge in such a creative way!
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Marcia, you are the sweetest person on Earth! And I mean it!
Thank you!
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The soup sounds wonderful, I think I’ll try serving it cold this summer. I planted 19 tomato plants and will be looking for all different ways of using the tomatoes since there are only two of us to eat our harvest.
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Oh, my…. nineteen tomato plants! Awesome! Maybe you could make some tomato jam? I haven’t made it yet but it’s one of my projects for…… for…. soon!
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I love tomato soup. The orange is a nice touch!
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Orange and tomato worked very very well indeed, and I think would make it quite nice as a chilled option
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Tomato soup is a summer-time favorite for us. The recipe I like best uses 3 lbs of roma tomatoes and 4 cups of basil.
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Oh, yeah! Tomato and basil… marriage made in heaven! In fact, I would normally add some basil to this one, but I had none in the house then, we were pretty much shutting down the kitchen and trying to use what we had around.
But, definitely, would be a perfect addition here.
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Sounds and looks absolutely fabulous, perfect for the local tomatoes coming soon to our farmers markets. Thanks for the tip on Kalamata oil. I’m too intrigued not to make the pilgrimage to TJs for it. : }
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Sally, tomato soup is my favorite (and it was my favorite when I was a kid). I always fry tomatoes with some butter or olive oil) but I have never tries to roast them; interesting ideas and I am going to use your recipe. Kind regards !
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