Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Unfortunately, this week’s TWD recipe required a lot of standing at the stove, and other futzing around in the kitchen, and frankly, my ankle just wasn’t up to it. Both Mr. SGCC and Mini SGCC have been pretty busy themselves, so neither were available to help. I’m really disappointed that I wasn’t able to make Dorie’s lovely Floating Islands this week. The recipe, which was chosen by Shari of Whisk: a food blog, looked like something I would have enjoyed. Sigh….. Hopefully, I will get to make them sometime soon. In the meantime, please take some time to check out all of the creative versions of this elegant dish at the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll.

I don’t want you to leave empty-handed, however. What kind of hostess would that make me? My Cream of Roasted Tomato & Rice Soup may not be as exotic as Île Flottante, but it is a creamy, velvety and delicious soup chock full of fresh tomato flavor. And, while it doesn’t have fluffy little meringues floating in it, it does have some nice crunchy croutons floating on top. Luckily, I made this soup a few weeks ago, before my ill-fated ankle “mishap”, so I’m able to share it with you now.

I’ve always been a big fan of tomato soup, especially creamy tomato soup. I ask you, what else in the world could possibly go better with a grilled cheese sandwich? They’re like the yin and yang of the lunch menu!

While I’ve spent most of my life happily relying on Campbell’s for my tomato soup fixes, I decided to try my hand at making my own from scratch. I had a basket of big, beautiful, juicy heirloom tomatoes that were just shy of being overripe. They were a little too soft to cut up for a salad, so soup was just the thing.

I did a little research and found some great-looking recipes on the blogs. One that stood out to me was by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes. Her Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup was the perfect version to try. It looked so rich and inviting. Plus, it didn’t seem to be too complicated or time-consuming to make. My thanks go out to Andrea for the inspiration!

Of course, I had to add my own little touches to this soup. I can never leave well enough alone! In addition to a few minor tweaks, I swapped out the basil in the recipe for some fresh thyme. I also added some rice to the soup, just because I felt like it.

If you enjoy a good tomato soup, I encourage you to try this one. It really is a winner! I served mine with my favorite meatloaf (which I’ll tell you about later), and it went over big at Chez SGCC.

Cream of Roasted Tomato & Rice Soup
adapted from Andrea’s Recipes
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe sweet tomatoes
5-6 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup cup heavy cream
2 cups cooked white rice*
Salt to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475° F.

Halve tomatoes lengthwise and lay them cut sides down on a baking sheet. Generously coat with 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until their edges are charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Scrape tomatoes, oil, and herbs from pan into a food processor. Process until tomatoes are mostly pureed, but still a little chunky.

In a medium saucepan, cook the onion in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the roasted tomato puree and broth.

In a small bowl, whisk the wine and tomato paste together until well blended. Add to the soup.

Heat the cream and whisk into the soup. Add the rice and salt to taste. Bring soup to a simmer and continue to cook until heated through, about 5-10 minutes.

Top with the grated Parmesan

*You can use any leftover rice, if you have some. You could also use frozen microwaveable rice, which is what I did.

Enjoy!

Here are some other great soups from the SGCC archives that you might enjoy:

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Zucchini Vichyssoise

“Quick, But it Tastes Like it Took All Day” Chicken Soup

Beef Barley Soup