Recipe: Lazy Day Tomato and Bread Soup with Basil
Sunday found us feeling particularly lazy so we headed over to the new, beautiful Fairway. I could literally spend hours there. Earlier we discovered a soup recipe we wanted to try so we went a mission for the proper ingredients. The baguette we bought was still warm. Still warm. It took every ounce of self control in my person to not eat the entire loaf while wandering aimlessly around the store looking at food porn.
Mr. Smith came just in time to save me and the baguette from certain doom and we headed home. This soup is great for a day when you have nothing else planned because it’s a bit time consuming—but certainly worth it.
From Williams-Sonoma Simple Italian Cooking — slightly adapted:
3lbs ripe plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons evoo
1 medium-sized yellow onion
lots and lots of garlic
fresh basil “shredded” (I got out the scissors for this one.)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
red pepper flakes
S+P
1/4 cup Italian Arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
4 slices crusty Italian or French bread
1. Core tomatoes. Cut in half and squeeze out the seeds. (This is actually really easy—I had no idea.) Chop the tomatoes—you should have about six cups.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute gently, stirring until transparent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, half ot eh basil leaves, the sugar, red pepper, and S+P. Stir in the rice, cover partially, and simmer until the tomatoes start to break down, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 6 cups of the chicken stock, re-cover partially, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, 10-15 minutes longer.
3. Remove 1/3 of the soup from the pan. Puree in the food processor with the metal blade or in a blender. Return the puree to the pot, stir well, cover partially, and continue to barely simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender, another 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust.
4. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Brush each bread slice on one side with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet, oiled side up. Place in over until the bread is warm, a few minutes.
5. To serve, place a warm bread slice in each of 4 large, warmed shallow soup bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the bread. Garnish with the remaining basil and serve.
