Tuscan Tomato Soup

By kelsbe

Ingredients

• 6-8 slices french bread 1" thick
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lg yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled & seeded then diced ( can use 2-3 cans of crushed tomatoes)
• 4 C chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/8 C finely chopped basil leaves, plus 8-8 whole leaves
• 1/2 freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt
• pepper
• oregano
• rosemary
• italian seasoning

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300*. Place bread slices on a baking sheet & bake until lightly browned, turning once, 10-15 mins total. Set aside. In a lg soup pot over med heat warm the oil, add the onion & sauté, stirring frequently until softened, 5-7 mins. Add the tomatoes & stock, raise the heat to high & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med- low, cover & cook until tomatoes are softened, about 30 mins. Remove from heat. In a blender or food processor, puree' the soup in batches leaving a little bit of texture, if desired & return the soup to the pot. Alternately process with a hand held blender until the desired consistency is reached. Return the soup to med heat & reheat gently. Add the chopped basil & season to taste with salt & pepper& other seasonings. To serve place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each warm bowl & sprinkle with a spoon of parmesan cheese. Ladle the soup on top & garnish with a basil leaf.