Spicy Cream of Tomato Soup

Posted by Olivia on Mon, September 20, 2010

I went a little crazy with the heirloom tomatoes last week at the farmers market . They were so beautiful and, since it's the end of the season, so cheap! I piled 7 big ones in my bag, certain that I'd use them up in no time.

And then I went away for the weekend.

I returned to 7 super-soft, near-mush, uber-juicy tomatoes that would never hold together in a salad. This creamy, spicy soup proved an excellent way to save their sweet flavor from the compost bin!

Be sure to serve with lots of crusty bread for dipping.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp medium intensity Extra Virgin Olive Oil, such as Master Blend

• 1 white onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, diced

• 1 green jalapeno, diced (and seeded if you don't like spicy)

• 2 cups half-and-half

• salt and pepper to taste

• snipped chives for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant--4-5 minutes.
3. Add diced tomatoes plus 2 cups water. Stir well, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tomatoes are very soft.
4. Add half-and-half and puree, either in a food processor or blender or using an immersion blender.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve in bowls, garnished with snipped chives.

Serves 3-4.