On afternoons when I am working at home, I love to have a pot of soup simmering on the stove. This soup is great because it doesn’t require a lot of prep work and it comes together really quickly. It doesn’t need to cook down for hours because most of the flavor is developed in the first 25 minutes when the tomatoes and garlic are roasting in the oven. It helps to use really good tomatoes. I used a random mixture of heirloom tomatoes from the farmers’ market. You could actually roast the tomatoes and garlic a day or so ahead and combine it with the rest of the ingredients when you are ready to serve it. The mixture of roasted and fresh tomatoes is a great contrast. I like to top it with freshly chopped dill and a drizzle of coconut milk, but it is great unadorned!
Roasted Tomato Dill Soup
3 large tomatoes, or a mixture of tomatoes yielding about 3 cups
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh dill, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup coconut milk for serving (optional)
Slice the two large tomatoes and gently dry them. Place them on a pan without overlapping the slices, add whole cloves of garlic and 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (no oil). Roast at 475 for 25 minutes, allow to cool slightly. Combine the unheated stock, tomato paste and roasted tomatoes in a pot and blend with an immersion blender. Bring to a simmer and stir in fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped dill, red pepper flakes and taste for seasoning. Serve with extra dill and coconut milk.