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Roasted Cherry Tomato & Fennel Soup

Prep Time:  5 minutes

     Cook Time:  1 hour, 15 minutes

     Serves:  6

If you’re a home gardener or CSA member, late September is the time that you would be perfectly happy to never see another cherry tomato. With consistent harvests and unbelievable bounty, these treats of summer become a bit mundane by the start of fall. My trick: roast a bunch and turn them into the easiest tomato soup ever (or freeze bags to make this soup over winter). For an extra touch of end-of-summer joy, use sungolds (or another yellow cherry tomato).

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 10 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large fennel
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. On a large baking sheet, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan in a single layer. Nestle in onion and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
  3. Place tomatoes in the oven and roast until the tops are well browned, about 40 minutes.
  4. Remove fronds and stalks from the fennel, reserving 1/4 cup of the leaves for stirring into the soup at the end. Cut your fennel bulb in half, remove the core, and thinly slice.
  5. In a large stock pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until softened and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  6. Add tomatoes to the stock pot when they are finished roasting along with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes over low heat.
  7. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and reserved fennel fronds. Leave the soup chunky or puree with an immersion blender if you prefer a smooth soup. Serve warm.

Notes

Suggestions Serve warm with toasted ciabatta slathered in ricotta, salt and garlic powder.