Heirloom Tomato Soup

It's harvest time again. Which for me means countless hours and days spent at the winery. Hours that I would secretly like to spend cooking or going on a long run instead. Some people live for this time of year. They plot plan and thrive on the grapes and the energy. They try and scheme how the can spend more time at work. I however dread it. In spite of all of this, I happen to be quick when I want to be and found myself in my car and on my way home yesterday at 4:30. I relished in this car ride and spent the entire trip home mentally scanning through recipes, until I thought about how many tomatoes we had at home, and how I had yet to even think about making tomato soup with them.

I have never made tomato soup, but I make a lot of soup. Tim calls me the soup goddess.  I have come to the realization that a soup can never go wrong when you take something in its pure form, add it to some cooked onions, wine, broth, garlic, seasoning and salt, (sometimes a little cream doesn't hurt either), and blend the whole thing up.

Tomatoes, I assume might be tricky though.... seeds, skin, etc. I consulted with about 12 different recipes. All different. Most used canned tomatoes. The only reason I say it with disappointment is that canned tomatoes have already been skinned and seeded- and I needed to know what to do with fresh tomatoes. And I don't have one of those really cool things that can just strain out the unwanted skins and seeds at the end. Finally I realized that I would have to skin them. Easy enough. Secondly, seed. Damn. all of my heirloom tomatoes are marbled-squeezing them would turn them into mush. I said screw it, and just left the seeds, threw it all in a pot and voile, soup for dinner.

Recipe:

1/2 onion chopped ( i used red, but just cause it was what I had)

5 whole garlic cloves

2TB butter

1TB olive oil

 Throw these all in a pot on med to med-high and cook for about 5 minutes

3/4 cup white wine

then throw the wine in

simmer for about 5 minutes

then add about a dozen large peeled tomatoes or 3 Large cans of peeled and diced tomatoes (i think)

i added 3/4 cup of veggie broth here and let simmer for about ten minutes.

After about 10 minutes, blend it. (i used this) and I swear by it. If you don't have one and like making soup, get one, I insist.

Note: I usually blend, then let is simmer for a couple more minutes, then blend, then repeat the process until I like the consistency

ADD salt and pepper to taste and 1/8-1/4 cup heavy cream (optional and to your taste)

Serve and enjoy!