Soup Soup

I again wanted to spend some time in the kitchen making some soup. I saw this tomato soup recipe and thought it sounded amazing. I had some red skins left from Thanksgiving so I did a little altering to my regular potato soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup

(From the "What's Cooking" Nest Website)

3 lbs ripe tomatoes cut in half
1/4 c. plus 2 T. olive oil
1 T. kosher salt
1.5 t. pepper
2 c. chopped onion
6 garlic cloves
2 T. butter
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
3 c. chopped (canned) tomatoes, with their juices
1 28 oz. can of peeled Plum Tomatoes with basil (I added this not on original recipe)
2 c. fresh basil leaves
1 t. fresh thyme leaves (I omitted and added some pasta seasoning in it's place)
4 c. chicken stock

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread tomatoes in 1 layer baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.
3) In an 8 quart stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 T. olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown
4) Add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock.
5) Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 min.
6) Pass through food processor.

Red Skin Potato Cheddar Soup

8 slices of Bacon diced

1 C Onion diced

1 C Carrot diced

1 C Celery diced

5 Garlic Cloves

8 C Red Skin Potato (cut into chunks)

4 C Chicken Broth

2 C 2% Milk

¼ lb Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cook the diced bacon in large pot until crispy. Add onions, garlic and celery and cook until onions are slightly browned add carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and mix well. Add chicken broth and cook until potatoes are tender. Place mixture into food processor in batches. Add milk and cheese and heat until cheese is melted in.

Salt and Pepper to taste (will need quite a bit). Serve with shredded cheddar sprinkled on top.