Ingredients
- 3 lbs tomatoes
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- kosher salt, for seasoning tomatoes
- black pepper, for seasoning tomatoes
- 1 large leek, 24" long
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tsp better than bouillon, chicken or vegetable1
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp dried thyme, not ground
- 1 - 2 tsp dried basil
- ½ - 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper, or more to taste
- 1 ½ inch piece parmesan rind, 1 delicious, but unnecessary
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. On a small sheetpan, drizzle lightly with half of the olive oil.
- Half (or ¼ extra-large) your tomatoes and place them skin side down on the pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, then flip skin side up.
- Slice your leek lengthwise and rinse between the layers well (dirt tends to get trapped in leeks). Cut into 2-4" pieces and arrange around the tomatoes with the peeled garlic.
- Drizzle lightly with the remainder of the olive oil and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes until your kitchen smells amazing and the vegetables have softened and just lightly browned.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool before carefully removing the skins. Place the tomatoes, leeks, garlic, and all the accumulated juices into a blender. Add the of bouillion (chicken or vegetable) or omit*.
- Begin to blend on low then work your way up to high to make sure everything is fully broken down. It only needs about 1 min (depending on your blender). If you want a smoother soup blend for longer and run through a strainer, but I like it "rustic"
- Pour the blended soup into a medium saucepan. Rinse the blender with the water OR* 1 cup of stock if omitting the bouillon. Add the rinsed contents of the blender to the the soup. Season with dried thyme, basil, salt, additional black pepper, and optionally add a parmesan rind.
- Bring to a low simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, remove the parmesan rind (if using) and serve hot with an optional drizzle of olive oil and fresh torn basil.
Rub the thyme and basil between your palms over the soup. The friction of your hands will warm the spices and "wake" them up.