Tomato Basil Soup

Adapted from The Simply Great Cookbook: Recipes and the Experience of Fine Dining from the Kitchens of Chuck Muer.

I make several pots of this tomato basil soup in late summer when I am inundated with more tomatoes than I can possibly eat and the basil is fresh and aromatic. I freeze half so that we can enjoy the tastes of summer mid-winter when we are knee-deep in snow and ice here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 1 cup of celery, finely diced
• 1 cup of onions, finely diced
• 1 cup of carrots, finely diced
• 4 T of fresh basil or 1tsp dried
• 1 T of fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• ½ bay leaf
• 3 cups of whole tomatoes ground in a food processor with juice
• 4 cups of vegetable broth (or water with two large vegetable bouillon cubes)
• 2 cups of rice, soy, or nut milk
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart soup pot; add celery, onions and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Add basil, oregano and bay leaf. Add ground tomatoes and broth.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, simmer and cook for 15 minutes until carrots are tender.
4. Warm the non-dairy milk in a pot.
5. Add warm milk and season with salt and white pepper.
6. Simmer soup gently for 15 – 20 minutes.

Servings: 8

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