Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque

By MJH

Ingredients

• 3 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, San Marzano*, if possible
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 large onion
• 3 medium shallots
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 head garlic
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons pesto
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 anchovy fillets**
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, for garnish
• 1/4 cup milk, for garnish
• pesto, for garnish

Details

Adapted from thecafesucrefarine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or foil.
Drain tomatoes well, reserving juice.
Set juice aside.

Cut tomatoes in half and place on one of the prepared pans with cut side up.
Drizzle tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cut celery into 2 to 3-inch pieces.
Cut onions in half then each half into 4 wedges.
Cut each shallot in half.
Place all veggies on second pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper.
Stir to coat veggies with oil.

Cut 1/4 inch off top of garlic.
Place, cut side down, in a small, oven-safe bowl.
Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and cover with foil.
Place bowl on sheet pan with onion mixture.

Place both pans in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Turn tomatoes so that cut side now faces down.
Stir onion mixture and return both pans to oven.

Roast onion mixture another 15 minutes, then remove from oven. Tomatoes should be roasted another 30 minutes for a total of 1 hour.

Cool slightly, then squeeze garlic bulbs to release individual cloves. Transfer garlic and contents of both pans to a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
Add reserved tomato juice, chicken broth and pesto, stir well.
Add oregano, basil, anchovies and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, then puree with an immersion blender to a regular blender.
*** Add a bit more chicken broth, if needed to thin the soup.

To serve, combine Greek yogurt and milk, stir until smooth.
Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with a bit of the Greek yogurt mixture and pesto****.
Serve hot.