Garlic Recipe of the Month
February
GILROY TOMATO SOUP
- 3 ½ lbs. ripe, meaty tomatoes like beefsteak
- 2 tbls. butter
- 4 cloves Christopher Ranch Garlic - minced
- 2 yellow onions - diced
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 6 oz. Gruyére or Emmentaler cheese - grated
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 tbls. brandy (optional)
Set aside one tomato. Peel remaining tomatoes by dipping in boiling water until skin starts to split. Dip in cold water. Remove skins, core tomatoes and remove seeds. Coarsely chop, set aside. In a 4 quart heavy pot or dutch oven, melt butter over high heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds (don’t burn!) Add onions, cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finely chop basil; reserve ¼ cup.
Puree tomato mixture in batches in food processor. Return tomato mixture to pot; add basil, salt and pepper. Heat through; add cheese, whipping cream and brandy. Heat and stir until cheese is just melted (unprocessed cheese may give soup a slightly grainy texture.) Chop remaining tomato; combine with reserved basil. Sprinkle on top of each serving of soup. Makes 6 small servings.
