Homemade Tomato Soup

I, personally, do not like any kind of soup.  I don't know exactly why but maybe because I don't like my food combined together.  Maybe I am weird, who really knows?  Anyways, this is a recipe my friend emailed me and she says it great.  I'm taking her word on it so give it a try.  

Total Time: 2 hr 50 min.
Prep Time:  20 min.
Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min.
Yields:         4 servings

Ingredients

8 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise ( I use 10)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried herbs de provence
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock ( I buy the organic low sodium and only chicken stock so far)
Sour cream or olive oil, for garnish, (This is optional, I use 1 Tsp of the low-fat sour cream.  It presents nicely and slightly thickens the soup- creamy)

Side Note

If you do not have pre-made herbs de provence you can make your owe combine the following:

            

            2 tablespoons dried savory
            2 tablespoons dried rosemary
            2 tablespoons dried thyme
            2 tablespoons dried oregano
            2 tablespoons dried basil
            2 tablespoons dried marjoram
            2 tablespoons dried fennel seed
            put in airtight container

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

     

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon water over the tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

     

Remove from the oven. Carefully peel off the skins and discard. Flip tomatoes over, cut side up, and place back in the oven until the tomatoes are shriveled but not dry, another 30 to 60 minutes. 

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

     

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and herbes de provence and cook until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and remaining 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

   
In a blender, puree the tomatoes (including any cooking liquid on the baking sheet) and the stock mixture until very smooth. You may need to work in batches. Strain through a fine sieve if a very smooth texture is desired. ( I prefer it to have tiny chunks so I blend a bit less)  Pour the soup back into the saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and heat gently.

To serve, ladle into cups or bowls and top with either a swirl of olive oil or a little sour cream, if desired.