Heirloom Tomatoes #6, #7, and #8

Heirloom Tomatoes #6

Heirloom Tomato #7

Heirloom Tomato #8

The remaining heirloom tomato paintings all sold at the MPA Artfest that was held on the first Sunday of October this month. It was fun seeing them go to collectors, I love it when my paintings find new homes and I get to meet the collectors in person.

As my garden closed down this season, I found myself with a large quantity of tomatoes and thinking of making some tomato soup to freeze for the winter months.

One of my favorite soups due to the rich flavor and the ease in which one can augment the soup with sides and toppings. Before shifting to a dairy-free diet to accommodate my daughter's food allergies, I used to add fresh mozzarella cheese to the soup and eat it with buttered toast. Now I find non-dairy items to change things up...

Here is a recipe I just used to make a hearty tomato soup...

Bread and Tomato Soup, Adapted loosely from Ina Garten’s Pappa Al Pomodoro

Ingredients 4-8 cups roasted tomatoes 1 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes 1 onion (2 onions) 1 handful of little carrots 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup good olive oil 4 cups (1-inch) diced Italian peasant bread, crusts removed 4 cups chicken stock, homemade 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions 1. Chop fresh tomatoes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, roast in 400degree oven for 1-2 hours, until the tomato juices have cooked off some. Place aside tomatoes and collected juices in a bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Puree onions, carrots, and garlic in food processer to a fine texture and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add roasted tomatoes and their juices and the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down further, about 5 minutes.

3. Place almost all the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

3. Using a wooden spoon, add the stale bread chunks. Continue simmering until all the bread has absorbed as much liquid as possible

4. Serve immediately.

For Naomi I also added some cooked orzo pasta to her portion, she loves anything with pasta in it…

…………………………… unframed paintings: Each Painting is in a Private Collection 4″ x 6″ (10.2 x 15.2 cm)