Summer Harvest Soup

Roasted Green Tomato & Basil Soup with Homeade Cheesy Croutons

After months of careful preparation and hard work in the gardens throughout the summer, fall is now upon us and the summer harvest has come and gone. I still have a few cold crop items that are growing and doing better than expected but for the most part, the growing season for Maine gardeners has come to an end. Over the past month, I have been harvesting and using up or sharing the last of the vegetables and herbs that my gardens have produced.  Overall I have been pleased with the production from all three gardens.  It was not as good as I had hoped but it was better than last year.  I worked harder and longer this year than ever before so the progress made from last year to this has been rewarding and has motivated me to work even harder and longer next year.

One of my most successful and abuntant vegetable crops this year was tomatoes; which are technically botanical fruits because they are basically a seed pod.  More specifically they are a fleshy sweet or sour product of a flowering plant that contains seeds.  If I am being honest, I really had an over abundance of green tomatoes that would not ripen no matter what I did.  I tried all the supposed tricks of the trade and still could not get even the slightest tint of red on those brilliant emerald botanical fruits.  

Being the impatient gardener and cook that I am, I finally decided that I could not wait a moment longer for the tomatoes to ripen.  I decided that I would find a way to use them just the way they were.  With my multiple green tomatoes coupled with my unrelenting impatience to let nature take its course, I created a roasted green tomato and basil soup.  It is quite simply the most delicious tomato soup that I have ever tasted in my life!  Here is how I did it.

First I started with 2 to 3 pounds of green tomatoes that I cut in half and placed in a shallow glass baking pan.

I drizzled a generous amount of olive oil over the tomatoes and seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper.  Then I placed the pan in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees.  Roast the tomatoes until they become soft and have started to brown on the outside a bit.  Remove them from the oven and set aside.

In a medium to large soup pot, add two tablespoons of olive oil and two to three crushed cloves of garlic and sautee over medium high heat. Add sea salt, pepper and a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes (optional) as you sautee the garlic until it has softened and starts to become translucent.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  

At this point, add the roasted green tomatoes.  Crush the tomatoes with the back of a spoon as you stir and sautee them with the garlic.  Once the tomatoes are broken down add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Once you have brought the mixture to a boil, add about a quarter cup of fresh basil leaves and simmer for a few minutes.  

After simmering for a few minutes, you will blend the mixture with an immersion blender.  If you do not have a immersion blender, a regular blender will work just fine and is actually a little faster.  If you are using a regular blender, please make sure the cover is secure before starting to blend the hot mixture.  

Blend the mixture with the immersion blender or regular blender until all of the tomatoes are completely broken down and the mixture has thickened and is smooth. Strain the mixture and pour back into the pot to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add salt and pepper (or any other seasoning you like) to taste as the soup is simmering. I also like to add a couple of pinches of freshly grated parmesean cheese to the soup as it is simmering.  

While the soup is still simmering, it's time to make the cheesy croutons. I like to use a french baguette for these but you can use any crusty bread that you prefer.  Using a bread knife, cut the bread into half inch slices and place on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and sprinkle each slice with your favorite shredded cheese.  Place into the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread has started to brown.  

To serve, ladle the soup into a medium to large soup bowl and place a cheesy crouton in the middle of the bowl on top of the soup.  Garnish with a couple of basil leaves and add salt and pepper to taste.

I was surprised to find that this soup had all of the familiar notes of a regular red tomato soup but also offers the incredible fresh, tangy and floral flavors from the green tomato.  It's everyone's favorite comfort soup with a little twist that is both refreshing and delicious and can be served hot or cold.  It just doesn't get any better than that!

Enjoy!