Lisa's Culinary Atrocities

(Nitrate/ite, etc free) Ham sandwich with tomato, lettuce, chipotle aioli, dijon, avocado and extra sharp cheddar on ciabatta, with Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper Kettle Chips,  New Seasons, Hillsboro, OR. 

Lovely summer soups are apparently my seasonal muse.  Summer is not exactly my favorite season, with it’s sun and heat (I’m strange), yet this year it has inspired me with it’s colors and flavors.  Soup requirements: refreshing, good both hot and cold, tasty the 1st day as well as the 3rd or 4th, and most importantly, simple.

This one was the epitome of simple.  Roast tomatoes and garlic, add stock and basil, blend.  Winner in both ease and taste.

Ingredients
·  2 pounds fresh tomatoes
·  6 cloves garlic
·  extra-virgin olive oil
·  salt and freshly ground black pepper
·  1 quart vegetable stock
·  fresh thyme
·  ¼ cup fresh basil
 
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, cut side up, and garlic cloves onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle fresh thyme and salt on top. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Remove from oven and transfer tomatoes and resulting juice from roasting to a large stock pot.  Snip ends of garlic cloves and squeeze into pot.  Add vegetable stock and basil to pot.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Can be enjoyed either hot or cold.

Serves 4

This absolutely rivals Blossoming Lotus’ Spicy Avocado Sandwich!

Pizza?  Mmm, maybe.  Waffles?  Well, of course!!  Take your favorite pizza (today: basil, garlic, tomato, artichoke), fold it in half and waffle away!

From scratch, recipe later.  For now, I’m hungry.