by Monita Buchwald

Here’s a recipe I adapted from “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” that works hot or at room temperature. And that’s good news if you’re looking for a soup to do double-duty on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. It also makes good use of ingredients you probably already have. Talk about being fruitful.

Tool Needed: Food processor

Ingredients:
3 pounds ripe, plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (about 2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons margarine
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
28 ounce can plum tomatoes with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 quart chicken stock or water

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss the tomatoes with ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in one layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
3. In an 8-quart stock pot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, margarine and red pepper flakes, until the onions soften and start turning golden brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Added the rest of the ingredients including the roasted tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 40 minutes.
5. Let the soup cool for 10 minutes, then puree in a food processor in batches.

Serves 6-8.