The Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup recipe is courtesy of Matthew, the editor of the healthy recipe and cooking site, Fave Diets.com. According to Matthew, a tasty aioli (a sauce made of garlic and olive oil) is made first for this tasty soup. In addition, it is a great way to use up the balance of your tomatoes from your garden and store for those cold winter nights when you can use a splash of summer.
Ingredients
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
2 garlic, cloves, peeled
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup low calorie mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions, sliced
1 stalk celery, with leaves, thinly sliced diagonally
1 sprig basil
3 tomatoes, peeled, halved
2 chicken stock
Directions
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
With processor running, drop garlic through feed tube; chop finely.
Add basil and lemon juice; chop finely.
Add mayonnaise; blend. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over low heat. Add onion, celery, garlic and basil.
Cover and cook until vegetables are very tender, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, place large strainer over bowl. Working over strainer, squeeze seeds and juice from tomatoes.
Chop tomatoes and add to vegetables in saucepan.
Using rubber spatula, press on tomato seeds and pulp in strainer to extract as much juice as possible.
Add strained juice to saucepan. Add chicken stock to saucepan; bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Discard basil sprig. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with aioli.
