Tomato Soup

I'm quickly stopping by to post the tomato soup recipe. I will be back tomorrow with a regular post. I hope you have a wonderful evening and enjoy the soup!
Peace,
Sarah

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup (Ina Garten)
*I made it without the cream one time and with the cream another time. Both were equally delicious.
Serves 5 or 6

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped (I peeled my carrots because I did not use a food mill)
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
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
   Julienned fresh basil leaves, for garnish
   Parmesan Toasts (recipe follows) or croutons, for garnish

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. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 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.

Add the cream to the soup. Ina recommends processing it through a food mill into a bowl and discarding only the pulp that is left. I used a food processor and it worked really well. I just scooped about 12 oz batches into the food processor at a time. I ran into a lady at Whole Foods who used an immersion blender and said it also turned out very well. However it is processed, return the soup to the pot and reheat over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or Parmesan Toasts and a sprinkling of kosher or sea salt. Freeze any leftovers and to reheat, allow the soup to thaw and heat until hot in a saucepan. I also have not used the basil as a garnish yet.

Parmesan Toasts
Makes at least 20

1 French baguette
   Olive Oil
   Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
   Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Makes as many slices as you would like to serve with the soup.

Place the slices on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a thick layer of grated Parmesan on the toasts and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the toasts are lightly browned. Cool to room temperature. This is a great way to use up leftover French bread. The toasts can be made a few hours in advance and can be re crisped for a few minutes in a warm oven.