It’s starting. The tomatoes are mutating and producing more and more of their progeny on a daily basis! I cannot keep up; I’m gasping for breath due to endless picking. They’re replicating, sprouting new plants—it’s the Volunteer Garden Invasion!
If there is one thing I know about tomatoes, it is they are prolific. Right after the first few get ripe, the rest start to get ripe and before you know it, you’re trying to survive the attack of the killer tomatoes!
Okay, so just a touch of hyperbole there. I bet you’re getting your tomatoes, too right now, huh? So I have this recipe that is absolutely ridiculously good and well, even though it is a soup recipe, I suggest you try it. (just crank the A/C)
The added bonus to this recipe is the incredible health benefits. Did you know that cooking them more than doubles the phytochemical prevalent in tomatoes? Lycopene has been found to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancer, as well as digestive cancers-stomach, colon, esophagus, etc. In fact, a study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (December 1995) showed that men who consumed ten or more servings of tomatoes or tomato-containing foods, reduced their risk of prostate cancer by a whopping 45%! That’s an incredible number, although now, there is evidence that maybe tomatoes aren’t as healthy as originally thought? Who knows. All I know is if you have tomatoes, you have the beginnings of a great soup!
Try this one out today!
Fresh Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 5 medium very ripe tomatoes cored and cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves chopped
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 sprigs flat leaf Italian parsley
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook till onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and sugar.
- Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Stir in the broth, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. If you prefer creamier soup, blend in a blender in batches otherwise, serve it up, top with a sprig of parsley and enjoy!