Organic and Simple Tomato Soup

The other night it was freezing cold. We were having a New York strip steak with roasted potatoes, and I just knew a soup would be a fabulous additional side item. And for some odd reason, I was craving a tomato soup. Mind you, I have never before liked tomato soup, but I just knew I needed it on this cold winter night!

Without further ado, here is the tomato soup recipe!

Renee's Tomato Soup:
Ingredients:
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 TBS olive oil
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup cream

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Strain the whole tomatoes and reserve the juice.
3. Put the whole tomatoes on the lined cookie sheet and place in the oven to begin to roast them (if you want, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper) (I learned this trick from Martha Stewart!).
4. Meanwhile, fine dice the onion and preheat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat.
5. Cook the onion (with salt) until it's softened.
6. Throw the garlic and red peppers into the onions and cook until you can smell them.
7. Pour in the 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, the juice of the whole tomatoes, and the roasted whole tomatoes into the pot.
8. Cook for about 10 minutes.
9. Dice the basil.
10. Add the basil to the pot of tomatoes and turn off the stove heat. Let it sit for a few minutes to infuse the basil.
11. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomato mixture in batches, until smooth.
12. Return the pureed soup to the pot, with the heat on medium low.
13. If desired, add the cream to the soup and stir.
14. Salt and pepper to taste.