Summer Tomato Soup

Gluten-free or don’t want to use a flour-based roux? I thicken soups like this by boiling a medium sized potato, and adding it to the soup before I put everything in the blender to make it smooth. The mashed potato works well as a thickener for a soup like this if you want to avoid the flour.

• 3 pounds tomatoes, roughly chopped (any type… I actually prefer a slicing or heirloom variety versus a roma variety, because they are juicier)

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 cups milk (or oat milk or a nut milk)

• salt and pepper

• 6 TBSP butter or olive oil

• 4 TBSP flour

• two large handfuls of fresh basil, chopped

Sauté the onions and garlic in 2 TBSP of the butter or olive oil, until they turn golden. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and simmer for a while, until they are fully broken down, maybe a half hour. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, make a roux: Melt the 4 TBPS butter (or olive oil), whisk in the flour. Slowly add the milk, a half cup at a time, whisking it in and letting it thicken each time. When all the milk has been added, transfer the roux to the tomato pot, and use an immersion blender or regular blender to make the soup smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper as needed. Add the fresh chopped basil, and serve!