Happy Friday!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! We have a lot of cooking on tap again this weekend. We're staying on the healthy train :)

Oh and speaking of cooking, here's the Tuscan Tomato Soup Recipe that I promised you.

Tuscan Tomato Soup
Serves 6-8
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lb (1.5 kg) ripe tomatoes, peeled & seeded, then diced
4 c (32 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock or prepared broth
3 T tomato paste
1/8 t red-pepper flakes
3 T heavy cream
1/2 c finely chopped basil leaves, plus 6-8 whole leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

• In a large soup pot over medium meat, warm the oil.
• Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 30 seconds.
• Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and red pepper flakes.
• Raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• In a blender or food preocessor, puree the soup in batches, leaving a little bit of texture if desired, and return the soup to the pot.
• Alternatively, process with a handheld blender in the pot until the desired consistency is reached.
• Return the soup to the saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream, chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
• To serve, place in a warmed bowl and sprinkle with Parmesean cheese.
• Garnish with a basil leaf and serve immediately.

Peeling & Seeding Tomatoes
For this soup, select fully sun-ripened tomatoes that are slightly soft to the touch.

• To peel and seed them, fill a saucepan three-fourths full of water and bring to a boil. Using a sharp knife, score an X in the blossom end of each tomato.
• In batches, without crowding, immerse the tomatoes in the boiling water and leave for 15-30 seconds, or until the skins just begin to wrinkle.
• Remove from the pan with a slitted spoon, let cool slightly, then peel away the skins.
• Cut in half cross-wise and squeeze gently to dislodge the seeds.

Happy cooking and have a great one!

Image: found here