But I have done it, and like usual, totally by accident.

I had 4 big tomatoes on the counter getting way too ripe, and about 5 peeled garlic cloves in the fridge needing use. I sliced the ‘matoes, then smashed the garlic with the back of a knife like I was Lorriane Bracco in Goodfellas (I’m talking temperament, not choice of weapons).  I laid out each tomato slice in the bottom of a lasagna pan, as it turns out I had just enough slices for one layer of tomatoes. Threw the garlic in no particular pattern on the ‘matoes. I remebered that I just purchased some good balsamic vinegar so I poured, I’d say 1/4 cup of it, over the ‘matoes and garlic cloves. I sprinkled some coarse grain salt and ground some pepper over it all. In the oven this went at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

When the tomatoes looked roasted to me - browning around the edges, much of their liquid pulled out - I removed them, the softened garlic, and pan juices into a bowl and set aside.

I added a 32 oz. carton of organic, free range chicken broth to the same lasagna pan, deglazed it, and brought to a boil. I realized I had forgotten the onions, so I chopped up a yellow onion and sauteed it with some evoo in a separate pan for about five minutes, it was almost caramelized. I poured the sauteed onion and its juices into the broth in the lasagna pan.  

Then for the hell of it, and because my cousin Wes the chef told me cream sherry is essential in soups, I added about 1/3 of a cup cream sherry (Sheffield’s, I remember the brand name because of Gary Sheffield). For a hearty flavor, I added about 1-2 tablespoons of Worchestshire sauce. Because I love WS and so does my son, I would love it if he ate tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich so I could make the same meal for him when he comes home from college. Blog for another time. Anyway, this simmered low for about five minutes. Then I added the ‘matoes garlic et al back into the lasagna pan, simmered again for about another five.

It was beginning to look like a pasta sauce, so I added half of another carton of chicken stock. I let this bubble away for about ten minutes more, then I brought out the big gun - my immersion blender - and poured the soup (it’s now a soup, let’s say) to a stockpot with VERY HIGH SIDES and blended away. It really took no time at all.

I tasted it. I adjusted nothing. It was perfect.

“So, how much cream is in this?” asked my husband. “None,” I replied. “Okay, butter? How much butter?” Oh yeah, I did add some schmaltz I had in the freezer to the soup during the broth boiling stage. I don’t need to tell him that. But I will tell you, if you don’t have schmaltz lying around, add butter, a little or a lot. My ’schmaltz’ is actually the strained pan juices from roasted chicken. Good stuff.

“No butter, either,” I told him. Did I lie?

I’ve never heard of strained tomato soup, so I didn’t. I had visions of pairing this with bacon, swiss, spinach, pesto aioli and turkey paninis for dinner, but my kids saw the bacon on the counter and wanted breakfast for dinner instead. After doing two sunny side up eggs for the girls (requested, no black pepper) and two scrambled eggs for my son (requested, extra black pepper) I made whole wheat pasta with leftover pulled (roasted) chicken and tossed it with my homemade pesto for hubby, who had finished his soup but was still famished, poor guy.

This is what I have done with my time since (and before, to be completely honest) my kids went back to school. When I hit a writer’s block or my computer freezes (or I’m avoiding laundry), I cook. I’ve been cooking like a crazy person, or, Mercedes Ruehl in the film The Fisher King. The fridge, fortunate as we are, is stocked, piled, and stuffed with homemade:  pesto, tomato soup, chicken tortilla soup, shrimp enchiladas (I’ve bought my last enchilada sauce in a can - recipe coming soon), roasted chicken, and brownies (I added flax seed to the brownies and no one even noticed!), in addition to all of the other stuff needed to nourish a family of five.

This Sunday my son has I don’t know how many, but more than one, baseball games, in addition to soccer opening day and team pictures. His games are back to back. I’ll have to pack him, let’s see…lunch, two snacks maybe more, hydrating beverages…gees, I’m going to be busy Saturday.

If life reads like a shopping list, you can really tell the trouble someone (like me) gets themselves into…or brings upon herself. At least the trouble I stir up tastes good.

bananas
stuff for oatmeal raisin cookies
Zone Perfect bars
more flax seed
eggs
seeds for the games
Vitamin Water
Vitamin Energy
basil
oranges
BACON!!
see if La Crema is on special
Arrogant Bastard Ale if La Crema is not on special
carne asada
avocados
something sweet
something salty
more tomatoes
…dark chocolate that bites back

Note: If you’d like the roasted tomato soup recipe broken down and listed in traditional format, post a comment and I’ll be sure to blog it.