I am still harvesting tomatoes from my garden on an almost daily bases, and my countertops are overcrowded by bowls filled with fresh tomatoes just waiting to be devoured.  Now that the weather has turned, and our days are gradually becoming cooler, it seemed like the ideal time to make a large batch of homemade tomato soup.  One of my peeves concerning making tomato soup, in the past, has been the task of transferring hot soup into a blender, and then pouring it back into the soup pot.  I somehow always end up making a mess, no matter, how careful I am.  Now the smart and practical thing to do would probably be to invest in a hand held blender, but instead I decided to try blending the vegetables at the beginning of the soup making process, before they have been cooked.  The results were a thinner, chunkier broth, with a slightly richer tomato flavor, and since I like to add things like spinach and dumplings to my tomato soup the chunkier broth suits.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 yellow Onion
• 4 sprigs fresh Oregano (leaves removed from the stems)
• 4 sprigs fresh Thyme (leaves removed from the stems)
• 6-10 leaves of fresh Basil
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning
• 8-10 Tomatoes (quartered with their seeds removed)
• 3 cup Chicken Stock (vegetable stock for vegetarians)
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Cream
• 1/2 lb fresh Spinach (optional)
• Chicken Dumplings (optional)(egg noodles for vegetarian option)
• thick grated Parmesan for serving

Directions:

1. In a blender puree the onion and garlic together.
2. Add in the herbs and continue to blend.
3. Heat up the olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot.
4. Transfer the blended mixture into the bottom of the stock pot, and allow them to cook and brown slightly.
5. Add in the tomato paste, and continue to allow it to caramelize.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in the blender and puree them.
8. Add the tomatoes into the stock pot followed by the chicken stock.
9. Bring the soup to a boil, and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes.
10. Taste test the soup.  If the soup tastes too bitter add in the honey, and if the soup is too acidic add in the baking soda.  This is also good opportunity for seasoning the soup with more salt or pepper if desired.
11. Finish off the soup by adding the cream, spinach, and chicken dumplings.
12. Once the spinach and dumplings are fully cooked, serve the soup with the parmesan sprinkled on top.