Grilled Tomato-Basil Soup

What better way to fire up the grill midweek by whippping up one of everyone’s comfort favorites — tomato soup. I’m not talking out of a can, but cooked on a grill. Surprised, soup on the grill? You bet. My recipe for Grilled Tomato-Basil Soup is in my Gather Round the Grill cookbook; a tasty way to start off the menu for mom with many other choices from the grill such as: Asparagus Bundles, Grilled Coho Salmon Fillets with Couscous Salad, and Fruit Parcels for dessert. 

You can choose from a wide variety of 30 menus for all occasions with over 200 recipes for year round outdoor cooking on the grill. With recipes like Florentine Chicken to Pork with Red Pepper Pesto, I am sure everyone gathering 'round your table will be pleased. Give the cookbook that keeps on giving; holiday is right around the corner!

Grilled Tomato—Basil Soup
From Gather Round the Grill, A Year of Celebrations,
by George Hirsch pg 258

4 to 5 large ripe tomatoes, grilled (page 303) and chopped
2 medium onions, thickly sliced, grilled (page 303) and chopped 
Puree from 1 head caramelized Garlic (page 302)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup tomato puree, or crushed San Marzano tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

Combine the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a 4-quart pot and simmer 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the basil and the butter and cook until the butter melts. Add the flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, hotsauce, salt and pepper and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, pour into a food mill or use a food pulser and puree. Return to pot, bring to a boil, and add the half-and-half or cream. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes.