This recipe has been a long time in the making. My husband, Rob, had an idea in mind for a delicious tomato soup and many versions of it have been produced in the last few years. This year, though, he declared himself satisfied. Here is his recipe.
Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup
3 lbs Roma tomatoes, halved
2 red peppers, cut in half and seeded
1 medium onion, quartered
2 whole bulbs of garlic cloves with their tops cut off
Salt and pepper
¼ cup apple juice
¼ cup fresh rosemary
½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Italian spice
1 tsp basil
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup plant-based milk
¼ cup chopped green onion as garnish
Heat oven to 400°F. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise.
Place tomatoes, cut side up, on a lined cookie sheet along with the red pepper halves with seeds removed placed face-down, the onion quarters and the garlic bulbs. Generously salt and pepper all of this.
Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven until the tomatoes start to turn dark around their edges, about 40 minutes. Remove the garlic, tomatoes and onions when they start to brown. Remove red peppers when skin turns black and starts to wrinkle and peel.
Heat a heavy skillet over low heat. Add roasted onions, the apple juice and the fresh rosemary and cook over low heat to caramelize the onions, about 30 minutes.
Peel the roasted garlic and drain the cashews. Blend together the garlic and the cashews with enough water to make a smooth cream sauce.
Place the roasted tomatoes and peppers and the caramelized onions, the maple syrup, all the spices including the cilantro, the vegetable stock, and the plant-based milk (but not the cashew cream), into a blender and blend until smooth. Thin soup if needed using some vegetable stock and/or and plant-based milk. Stir in the garlic/cashew cream sauce.
Serve hot garnished with green onions.