Sometimes a restaurant doesn't just please. It enchants.

Dennis Getto

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Our Tuscan Tomato Soup is made with a combination of fresh Roma tomatoes coupled with high quality canned Roma tomatoes. I finish the soup with the addition of fresh basil and Italian parsley! I make a homemade pesto with fresh basil and top toasted baguette slices with the mixture. The pesto crouton tops the finished soup for a great winter warm-up!

Recipe of the Month

Tuscan Tomato Soup
Makes approximately 6 servings

Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
(basil scented if possible)
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
(or 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 pound of fresh Roma tomatoes,
coarsely chopped
one 28-ounce can of Roma tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and white pepper to taste

French bread baguette slices
olive oil to brush on slices

Pesto
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped pine nuts or pecans
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
a pinch of salt & pepper

To finish the croutons
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (for top of croutons)
finely sliced green onion garnish (optional)


*To make the soup* Peel the shallots (or red onion) and finely chop.

Place the olive oil in a large pot (we use oil from the Oilerie located in Fish Creek - they have a basil scented olive oil which works great for this soup! Click here for more information on The Oilerie in Fish Creek.

Add the shallots and chopped garlic. Stir, on medium heat, until shallots become translucent but not brown.

Add the tomatoes, with juice, into the soup. Use the back of your spoon to break the tomatoes up if they are whole. Look for a nice Italian style canned plum tomato. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes. .

Add the vegetable or chicken stock. Simmer the soup on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Puree the soup. To do this, you can use an immersion blender (pictured at right) which goes directly into the soup. Alternately, you can puree the soup in batches in a food processor. Be careful not to overfill your food processor bowl. I would recommend pureeing the soup in batches. Try to keep a few pieces of tomatoes in the soup to give the finished product some texture.

Slice the basil into a "chiffinode" to add to the soup. To do this, place basil leaves one on top of each other. Fold the basil "packet" in half.

Take a chef's knife and slice across the packet to make thin slices of basil. Continue slicing remaining basil in this manner.

*Finishing the soup and making the pesto crouton* When ready to serve, add the sliced basil and chopped Italian parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If making the soup ahead, add the fresh herbs right before serving).
Place the 1 cup of basil leaves in the bowl of your food processor along with the pine nuts/pecans, pinch of salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pulse to combine. Add the olive oil, a little at a time, until the basil pesto is pureed but still firm. Brush the fresh bread slices with a little olive oil. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place basil pesto on each crouton. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and place until the broiler to melt the cheese.
Ladle the hot soup into soup bowls. Top with a basil pesto crouton. If desired, garnish with finely julienne green onion that has been placed in cold water and ice for 3 to 4 hours. This will make the green onion "curl" for garnishing.