Roasted Tomato Soup with Arugula Pesto

Now is the perfect time to use up the last bit of the summer's ripe tomatoes. This delicious recipe from Chef Dan Stone here at ICE gives you the perfect opportunity to soak up the season's best.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients 

• 4 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored, and cut in quarters from the stem-to blossom-end
• 8 garlic cloves, skin on Olive oil, as needed
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Arugula pesto (recipe follows)
• Crème Fraiche, to garnish (optional)

Instructions 

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350° F
2. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a single layer on a baking sheet; tuck the unpeeled garlic between the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 1 hour, and allow to cool.
3. Peel the garlic and reserve with the tomatoes. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Film the bottom of the pot with olive oil, add the onions, and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and stock, and simmer for 15 minutes. Pass through a food mill to separate the skins and seeds; discard solids.
4. Reheat the soup, and adjust the seasoning. Serve in bowls and drizzle with the pesto; pass the crème fraiche as a garnish.

Arugula Pesto

makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients 

• 1 cups packed baby arugula
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts Zest of one-half lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions 

1. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground back pepper. Reserve.