Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup from Laura Pauli

Chef Laura Pauli is one of the guest instructors that teach at La Cocina Que Canta, our cooking school, and she shared this delicious Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup recipe with us. This scrumptious soup is easy to make, and while we like it with a blue cheese crumble as a garnish, there are multiple ways to add the finishing touches to this recipe. The sweet and tangy flavors have a pleasing zing to my taste buds. Be sure to check out her notes on how to handle leftovers. ¡Buen Provecho!

Serves 8

Ingredients

5 pounds heirloom tomatoes

20 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and discard stems

1/4 cup olive oil, get the good stuff

2 teaspoons sea salt

Garnish with your favorite topping, blue cheese crumble, crouton, fennel fronds, dried tomato slice, thyme sprig…

1. Cut the heirlooms into wedges and put them in a roasting pan with high sides. Note: The tomatoes shouldn’t come up higher than 3/4 the height of the side of the pan because this will render a lot of juice and you don’t want all that goodness to spill over.
2. Add thyme leaves, oil, salt, pepper, and toss to combine.
3. Roast at 400°F for 45- 60 minutes.
4. Blend with an immersion blender or ladle into a countertop blender. If you’re using a countertop blender remove the center cap from the blender lid and cover the hole with a towel. The steam will need a way to escape.
5. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish.

*Note: If you have leftovers, Day 2 add soup to a shallow pan and braise a chicken or fish. Day 3 add basil and toss with pasta. Day 4 add vodka for Bloody Mary’s!

See who else will be teaching at La Cocina Que Canta or presenting at The Ranch.