Garden Tomato Basil Soup

“Buenos días!  How are you, my friend?  I have a gift for you.” 

A scruffy man held out a paper bag.

The other man – dressed in white and sweating under the hot sun – opened the bag without taking it, and peered inside.  “No, no, Señor, I’ve had enough of those.”

“It is a gift.  You must accept it.”  The scruffy man pushed the bag again to the man in white, who grabbed the bag with one hand to force it back.

“I told you yesterday, I had enough!”

“Take it!”

The two struggled, crunching the bag between them and yelling obscenities in Spanish.  They suddenly both lunged forward in one last effort, but bounced off each other, falling to the ground, each with a half of the torn, empty paper bag in one hand.

Between them, lay a dozen red, juicy tomatoes.

The man in white scrambled to his feet, but as he turned to escape, his face splattered with juice.  The scruffy man was already standing, his eyes an angry red, as red as the other tomato he clenched, ready to throw.

No, not the true origin of La Tomatina – the annual tomato fight held every August in Spain where the streets become soup.  But both stories share the same explosive elements – hot weather, hot tempers, and too many tomatoes.

If you have tomato plants in your garden, you are probably on the lookout right now for anyone willing to take a few off your hands.  If you don’t have any takers, don’t have room for freezing, or don’t want to start a food fight with your neighbors, then your best option to get through a bucket of tomatoes – and a bucket of other garden veggies – is a hearty, fresh Garden Tomato Basil Soup.

A mix of your late summer harvest – tomatoes, yellow onions, carrots, basil, and green peppers – this Garden Tomato Basil Soup makes a great meal on its own, or a giant dipping bowl for your homemade grilled cheese sandwiches.

Garden Tomato Basil Soup by Season with Spice
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
6 ripe tomatoes – cut into chunks
3 carrots – peeled and sliced into discs
1 green or red bell pepper – cut into chunks
1 yellow onion – cut into chunks
5 cloves of garlic – halved
6-8 fresh basil leaves
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 tsp of Season with Spice's Sweet Paprika
Dash of Season with Spice's Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Season with Spice's freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
Dab of butter
Olive oil

Process:
1. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil into a deep frying pan, and heat on high. When hot, toss in the garlic and onion and sauté until lightly browned. Then add in the carrot and sauté until lightly browned.
2. Add in another tablespoon of olive oil, along with the bell pepper and tomatoes. Cook on medium fire until tomatoes are softened. Turn heat off and let cool while completing next step.
3. In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, paprika, thyme, and black pepper. Heat on low.
4. Add the cooked veggies into a blender, along with the fresh basil leaves. Blend on low speed to desired texture.
5. Add the blended mixture into the large pot, stir well with the broth, and cook on medium fire until soup thickens to desired texture. Then stir in butter and milk, add in more salt if needed, and cook a few more minutes.
6. Serve hot, and garnish with shredded fresh basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy with a side of toast or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Notes:
- You can roast the vegetables instead, but I prefer the way the garlic, onions and carrots caramelize in the frying pan and give the soup a stronger flavor.