Neighborly Tomatoes

Last night I was getting the boys ready for bed and my neighbor knocked at the door. I almost ignored it in favor of putting the boys to bed. It had been a long day and my eldest was tired after his gymnastics class. However, I am so glad I opened the door instead. She had brought me a bag full of giant tomatoes ( 7 tomatoes to be precise). These tomatoes were home grown and her employer did not want them anymore, mostly because they were beginning to be quite ripe and had some bruising. They were still usable with a little creative cutting. My first thought was a fresh tomato soup. I have made a fresh tomato soup before and I did not really care for it, but I am always willing to try again. This time I found a winner in a recipe from The How to Mom. The link to the original recipe is Fresh Tomato Soup.  I also have the recipe posted below.

Fresh Tomato Soup

1 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic 
4-5 c chopped ripe tomatoes, seeded (you can sub in some canned, if needed)
2 c chicken broth (or 2 c water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp (+) salt
pepper to taste

 1. Heat olive oil in stock pot, and cook onions and garlic til tender, but not browned. Add chopped tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer for 20-25 mins. Remove from heat and use food mill, immersion blender or regular blender to carefully puree mixture.

2. In separate small skillet, melt butter and add flour, cooking til light golden brown. Whisk in 1 cup of pureed tomato mixture slowly, ensuring that the mixture doesn't clump. When tempered, add mixture from skillet to the stock pot.
3. Add sugar, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper, and simmer 5 more minutes. Season to taste. 

I will definately be making this soup again and I plan on using my final three tomatoes in a yummy pasta sauce!