Recipe: Taxicab Yellow Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil Pesto (using roasted tomatoes)

TAXICAB YELLOW TOMATO SOUP WITH FRESH BASIL PESTO
"That's right: yellow tomatoes. Never had one? You will now. The little yellow gems are less acidic then their red brethren (although if red is all you have in the house, they'll do). I know this may sound corny, but yellow tomatoes make me feel like I'm eating sunshine. Then again, this is a late summertime soup."



"The roasting process unlocks the tomato's natural sweetness, while the blending makes for a smooth, creamy soup."

FOR THE SOUP:
8 pounds yellow heirloom tomatoes, halved*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 to 2 cups Magic Mineral Broth (see recipe) or prepared vegetable stock (optional), as needed
FOR THE PESTO:
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
2 teaspoons cold water
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Gently squeeze the halved tomatoes in your hand to remove excess seeds. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, in a single layer on rimmed sheet pans.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until the skins are just browning and the juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven, cool, and lift off the skins.

In batches, add the tomatoes with their juice to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the blended tomatoes through a strainer into a clean pot. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the liquid through the strainer and discard any remaining skins. The roasted tomatoes give off so much juice that the puree shouldn't be too thick. If it is, add the broth 1/2 cup at a time to achieve the desired consistency.

To make the pesto, process the basil in a food processor while drizzling in the olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and the water. Taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Reheat the soup slowly over medium-low heat. Serve in a boldly colored soup bowl with a dollop of the pesto. Yum to the eye and the tum! This soup can be eaten at room temperature, chilled, or warmed.

Makes 6 servings

PER SERVING: Calories: 156; Total Fat: 9 g (1 g saturated, 5 g monounsaturated); Carbohydrates:19 g; Protein: 6 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sodium: 584 mg

*Some tomatoes are juicier than others; you may need to drain the tomato juice into a bowl during the roasting process. Just about everyone I know who likes tomatoes hates the seeds, and with good reason: tomato seeds, especially in a blended soup, may add a bitter aftertaste.

RECIPE NOTES:
"Cooking shouldn't be serious. Sometimes it can even be hilarious. We were showing people how to make this soup in a class. First we passed out the soup without the pesto. Everyone tried it and nodded politely. Then we added the pesto and they all tasted it again. From the back of the room came a moan from a woman. Actually, it was more than a moan. Kind of like the note of ecstasy Meg Ryan hit in the diner in

When Harry Met Sally. My male co-teacher immediately blushed. The woman realized what she'd done, looked up from the soup, and said, "Well, isn't it okay tomoan?" The class cracked up. From then on she was known as 'The Moaner.'"

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Adapted from source: One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson