Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Here in Florida, we are just one day away from the official start of summer. It has been a rainy couple of weeks, so a lot of time has been spent indoors. A few days ago, we came home with a large supply of tomatoes. I checked the wild tomato plant we have growing out back and found a another dozen ripe on the vine. What to do? Homemade soup came to mind.

Start by roasting several different tomatoes in one tablespoon Tuscan herb infused olive oil. Place the fruit in a cast iron pan and place on a hot charcoal grill with a few chunks of hickory.

Roast for about 10 minutes until the skins start to peel. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove all the skins from the tomatoes. Put back on the grill, add a roasted red pepper and grill for five more minutes. 

Remove and let cool for ten minutes. 

Seed tomatoes and put them in a food chopper. Process until a fine paste forms. Add roasted pepper and process again until smooth.

Strain tomatoes through a sieve into a stock pot and place on a low flame.

Add:

1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup sun dried tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons sugar

If a thicker soup is desired, add two tablespoons corn starch to a 1/4 cup of cold water mixing until smooth, then add to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer a half hour, grab a sandwich and enjoy this delicious soup.