Accidental Tomato Soup

The unseasonably warm weather last week was great for my tomato plants - a whole lot of them ripened up in a hurry, and I ended up last night with a bunch of them getting soft and in urgent need of being used.  I intended to make a basic tomato sauce, but by the time I was done I had ended up with an awesome pot of tomato soup.

Accidental Tomato Soup

1/4 cup olive oil

4 bell peppers, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

6 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped

1/2 pound carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3+ pounds of assorted ripe tomatoes, cut up

3 heads of fresh basil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup rich beef stock

Light cream

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a pressure cooker.  Add bell peppers, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and saute them in the oil while you chop up the tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper to the pressure cooker.  Lock on the lid, turn the heat to medium-high and bring the pot up to pressure.  When the jiggler on the pot starts to dance, turn the fire down to medium and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and reduce the pressure under cold running water until the top can be removed.  Force the tomato sauce through a food mill or strainer to remove skins, seeds, celery strings, and so on.  

Bring the soup to a fast simmer and stir in the beef stock.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  For a richer Cream of Tomato soup, stir in light cream to taste just before serving.

You know what I love with tomato soup?  Grilled cheese sandwiches, made with cheap-ass orange American cheese.  Brings me right back to when I was ten years old.

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