WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We thought we knew tomato soup: velvety smooth, creamy, and comforting—perfect for a cold winter day. But there’s another kind of tomato soup: made without cream and bursting with fresh tomato essence. Usually flavored with onions, garlic, and basil, it’s the perfect way to use a surplus of ripe summer tomatoes. We concentrated the tomato flavor and evaporated excess moisture by roasting the tomatoes, then pureed them in a blender. We salted our reserved chopped tomatoes to soften their texture and added them at the end of cooking, boosting the fresh tomato flavor. The success of this recipe depends on using ripe, in-season tomatoes
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored (5 pounds quartered, 1 pound cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 9 garlic cloves, peeled (8 whole, 1 minced)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position. In a large roasting pan, combine the quartered tomatoes, chopped onions, whole garlic cloves, olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of sugar.
- Roast the tomato mixture in the oven until the tomatoes are brown in spots, which should take about 1 ½ hours. Stir the mixture halfway through roasting. Once done, let the tomato mixture cool slightly.
- While the tomato mixture is roasting, combine the diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped basil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Once the roasted tomato mixture has cooled slightly, working in batches, process it in a food processor until smooth. Then, transfer the processed mixture to a large saucepan.
- Stir in the diced tomato mixture and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the diced tomatoes are slightly softened, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Finally, season the sauce with salt and sugar to taste.
- This sauce can be used in a variety of dishes, such as pasta, pizza, or as a base for soups or stews. Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
