Hi All, Lane County Extension Service Master Gardener and Food Preserver John Fischer here with Good Gardening and Great Eating.
I made a tomato soup the other day that everybody voted best ever. Before the recipe, as is customary on the internet, how's about more than you care to know about me.
I first ate vegetables - actually my parents fed them to me - when I was a baby. At age one, I could pick them up. By two - oh too much about me ? Ok, Let's jump to the recipe.
Roast in an olive oil greased Pyrex baking pan - or two - 5 pounds of tomatoes, a couple of cloves of garlic, an onion, and maybe a sweet pepper or two. Take the stem connection spot out of the tomatoes and quarter them before roasting. Leave the skins on. Use a couple kinds of tomatoes if you have them - Romas make a thicker soup. Top it with a few tablespoons of fresh oregano and basil, some pepper, and a teaspoon of salt. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the mix before putting it in the oven.
Roast the mix at 450 degrees, stir it after 20 minutes, and then broil the mixture until a few tomatoes start to brown.
Take it out of the oven, puree it in the Osterizer or with an immersion blender while adding about a cup of milk and two cups of meat or vegetable broth. Leave out the milk if you must. You're done.
The secret ingredient in the recipe is the roasting. It makes the tomatoes sweeter, just like it does with carrots, beets, potatoes, and a host of other vegetables. Almost all vegetables can be roasted, but the time for a zucchini is much less than for a large squash. Do some experimenting. I find broccoli gets too dark for my tastes, but if you have never experimented with roasting, try it and you will release a lot of new tastes in your garden produce.
OK, back to the soup. Top it with a little parmesan, and serve it with - duh - grilled cheese sandwiches.
Oh good, looks like we have a little time for more about me!
I'm John Fischer with Great Eating.
