6/24/2025 – This made a great soup with tomatoes from the garden inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe here. Mary made a double batch to give to friends who do not like “spicy” foods.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste,basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat,and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.
4. Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that’s left.
5. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings