The first heavy frost advisory rang out from my iPad today. It meant I had to get the last of my tomatoes off the vines or risk losing them to frost. I had at least 14 cups of Roma tomotoes I popped into a roaster to cook up and freeze for later. Roasting & freezing tomatoes is one of my favourite ways to not only preserve summers bounty but increase flavour dramatically. I freeze them in large cubes perfect to add to your sauces or stews at any time.

When I was a younger my mother had no idea how to shop for me. At Christmas I would get cooking magazines and utensils. Because my mother figured it was the only thing I “was in to”. One Christmas she gave me an indispensable magazine, it was popped into a gift bag almost like an after thought. Like she was standing at the checkout and saw it saying “eh what the heck…” Cuisine at home Soup edition. It is my all time favourite soup cookbook EVER. And when I say ever …I mean EVER. I thought I lost this book once in a move could not find it for months, I tired to google my favs with to no avail and I literally cried, I love the recipes that much.

What the camera did not pick up is the tears, creases, stains and dog eared pages. Yes it’s the best. This book has Italian wedding soup, an amazing black bean soup, chowders and veg soups and my personal fav Roasted tomato. Here is the link to get your own copy .

I first made this particular soup for my sister in my little kitchen in my first apartment. She was coming to visit her new nephew that had been born only a few months before. The tomatoes were still frozen from a summer we spent on a farm. Unsure if frozen tomatoes would hold their summer flavour, I made one simple tweak – I added red peppers to the roaster – taking the page 18 tomato soup to a gourmet level. My sister who is not huge fan of tomato soup asked for seconds. I never looked back.

ROASTED RED PEPPER & TOMATO SOUP

Original printed Cuisine at home.

• 5 lbs tomatoes stemmed and quartered
• 3-4 large red peppers stemmed seeded and quartered
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 c olive oil
• salt / pepper to taste.

Toss above and roast at 450 for 40 mins or so.

• 1 c chopped onion
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• Roasted vegetable mixture

Sauté onion in soup pot over med until soft. Stir broth or water, sugar and roasted veg. Bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. Purée soup in blender

For cream soup : add 1/4 cup of cream to hot puréed soup.

Garnish with basil, or quick raw salsa. Serve with grilled mozzarella pesto sandwiches.