Recipe - Farmers Fresh Tomato Soup

One fourth cup + 2 tablespoon extravirgin olive
oil
2 md Onions, coarsely chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Ribs celery, coarsely
chopped
3 pound Plum tomatoes, washed,
stemmed, coarsely chopped
Salt
1 pn Sugar (Optional)
3 Pieces dayold Italian
bread, crusts removed
4 cup Hot meat broth
One half cup Fresh basil leaves, torn in
strips
2 tablespoon Chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon Chopped fresh marjoram
6 small Fresh marjoram sprigs for
garnish

Heat the oil, onions, garlic and celery in a soup pot over medium low
heat, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 20 minutes). Add the
tomatoes and salt; cook, partially covered, until the tomatoes are
softened, about 20 minutes. If necessary, add a pinch of sugar to balance
the acidity of the tomatoes.

Put the bread in a small bowl and add 1 cup of hot broth to soften. Mash
the bread well with a wooden spoon. Add the softened bread and remaining
broth to the tomatoes, stirring well to completely dissolve the bread.
Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the herbs during the last 5 minutes of
cooking. Pass the soup through the fine blade of a food mill or puree in a
food processor and strain.

Put the soup back in the soup pot and correct the seasoning. Simmer for 10
minutes. Ladle into heated soup bowls and pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil
over each serving. Garnish with sprigs of fresh marjoram.

Serves 6 to 8.

[ "We Called It Macaroni"; Nancy Verde Barr; Knopf; ISBN 0394557980 ]

Posted by Fred Peters.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini