Tomato - Basil Soup

Today I went out to Larriland Farms in Woodbine, MD to take advantage of some of their fall bounty (you may remember Larriland as the inspiration for July's berry spectacular). This time around, I got apples (stayman, jonamac, braeburn, cameo, fuji, and ida red), yellow raspberries, and tomatoes. The apples will have to wait their turn, but I immediately harvested some basil from the windowsill and whipped up a batch of tomato-basil soup. While that simmered, I fashioned the golden raspberries into a crisp (using a halved version of my recipe for peach-ginger crisp). This soup is a great finish to a fall day spent at the farm with friends - and I'll freeze some of the leftovers for deep winter, when I need a bit of sunshine.

Tomato - Basil Soup (enough for a meal and for freezing)
6 -7 lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced (and peeled and seeded, if you prefer)
1 cup fresh basil
1-2 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
1-2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 T. olive oil
1 small rind of parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup milk or cream

1. Use a food processor to puree the tomatoes and basil. For a smoother soup, strain the liquid and reprocess the remaining mash before proceeding.

2. Stir together tomato/basil puree, pepper, salt, olive oil, and cheese rind in a large stockpot. Bring to low boil over medium heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 more minutes. Remove any remaining cheese rind.

4. Ladle into bowls and serve! This soup goes well with grilled cheese (of course!), a crust bread, or tortilla chips. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze for the bleak midwinter.