Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil Pesto and Cooking Club #2

Once cooking club got off the ground, it wasn't hard to think of themes. And this one was particularly easy to get buy-in for: grilled cheese night!

We had havarti with dried cranberries on pumpernickel rolls, brie with apples and strawberries, mozzarella with tomatoes and basil for a twist on caprese, a cheesy one with bacon, and a grilled cheese with a kick of red pepper flakes...and creamy mascarpone with nutella for dessert.

Below is the recipe I made to accompany the handful of yummy grilled cheeses: a roasted tomato soup with basil pesto. Who doesn't love grilled cheese and tomato soup?

Ingredients

2 (28 oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice

1 (28 oz) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar (*either dark or light is fine)

4 large shallots, diced

4 tbsp. butter (*either salted or unsalted is fine)

1 tbsp. tomato paste

pinch ground allspice

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 (26 oz.) can chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 fresh basil leaf

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

3. Place a strainer over a medium/large bowl. Open both cans of the whole tomatoes and dump into the strainer, letting the juice strain into the bowl underneath.

4. With your fingers, carefully remove all of the seeds from the tomatoes. When this is done, use a spatula to push the rest of the juice through the strainer (the seeds should stay in the strainer, and you can throw them away).

5. Place seeded tomatoes on the foil, and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the tomatoes cool slightly and then remove and place in a small bowl. Set aside.

7. While the tomatoes roast, dice the shallots.

8. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil. Saute the shallots, tomato paste, and allspice until softened, stirring occasionally (about 7-10 minutes).

9. Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring it in.

10. Gradually add the chicken stock and whisk constantly to combine.

11. Stir in 3 cups of reserved tomato juice (which, when I made it, was the entire bowl).

12. Add the roasted tomatoes and the can of crushed tomatoes. Also, add the basil leaf.

13. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer and let it go for 10-15 minutes.

14. Remove the basil leaf and discard, then blend the soup with an immersion blender.

15. Add the cream and heat for three minutes until heated through.

16. Season with salt and black pepper.

17. You can add the basil pesto at the end. I just eye-balled a traditional pesto recipe (basil, toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, black pepper, and olive oil).