Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup

Now that fall is here, I'm into making a new soup every week. I love to make soup because it usually amazes me how flavorful soups can be. I grew up mostly on chicken, matzo ball and cabbage soup so I never really realized the possibilities until I started trying out recipes found in magazines myself.

I purchased the New England Soup Factory Cookbook a few years ago, but this recipe for Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup is the fist one I have tried. I guarantee I will be trying more recipes in this book because the soup was fantastic! I chose this one because of two things: 1) I wanted to try and make homemade tomato soup; and 2) I wanted a recipe with which I could use my immersion blender.

Roasting the tomatoes as specified in this recipe was great! The house smelled amazing and I think I will be making these in batches to munch on because they are so good on their own! But mixing them in with the sauteed carrots, celery and onion was pure heaven. Topping the soup with shredded cheddar and homemade croutons made it really elegant. Even though I have a enough for leftovers throughout the week, I know I will be craving this soup again.

Roasted Tomato and Rice Soup Makes 10 servings Roasted Tomatoes 12 plum tomatoes, cut into halves 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Soup 3 tablespoons butter 3 whole cloves garlic, peeled 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced 5 carrots, peeled and sliced 2 ribs celery, sliced Roasted plum tomatoes (from recipe) 6 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 3 cups tomato juice 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2½ cups cooked white rice 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1½ to 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese Croutons, for garnish

For the roasted tomatoes: Preheat the oven 425 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a small roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes, or until the skins look wrinkled but the tomatoes retain their shape.

For the soup: In a stockpot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the roasted tomatoes and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, stock, and tomato juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the basil. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Place the soup back into the pot if using a regular blender. Add the rice and season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir so that the rice is evenly distributed throughout the soup. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and croutons.