Grilled Tomato Soup

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Lynne Weigle-Snow for sending us this one:

A woman is enjoying a good game of bridge with her girlfriends
one evening. "Oh, no! I have to rush home and fix dinner for my
husband! He's going to really ticked if it's not ready on time."

When she gets home, she realizes she doesn't have enough
time to go to the supermarket, and all she has in the cupboard
is a wilted lettuce leaf, an egg, and a can of cat food. In a panic,
she opens the can of cat food, stirs in the egg, and garnishes
it with the lettuce leaf just as her husband is pulling up.

She greets her husband and then watches in horror as he sits
down to his dinner. To her surprise, the husband is really enjoying
his dinner. "Darling, this is the best dinner you have made for me
in forty years of marriage. You can make this for me any old day."

Needless to say, every bridge night from then on, the woman
made her husband the same dish. She told her bridge cronies
about it and they were all horrified. "You're going to kill him!" they
exclaimed.

Two months later, her husband died. The women were sitting
around the table playing bridge when one of the cronies said,
"You killed him! We told you that feeding him that cat food every
week would do him in! How can you just sit there so calmly and
play bridge knowing you murdered your husband?"

The wife stoically replied, "I didn't kill him. He fell off the mantel
while he was licking his paws."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I just reviewed my files and realized this is at least the seventh
recipe for tomato soup I have published over the past eight years.
This one is distinguished by the fact that the tomatoes are grilled,
giving them a more intense flavor and a hint of smokiness.

Grilled Tomato Soup

3 lbs (1350 g) ripe tomatoes, halved horizontally and seeded
About 4 Tbs (60 ml) olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock or water
2 Tbs (30 ml) dry vermouth, dry white wine, or lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Drizzle the tomatoes with about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil
and grill both sides over hot coals or cook under a preheated broiler
until the skin is slightly charred. Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive
oil in a pot over moderate heat and saute the onion and garlic until
tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and press
with a spoon to break them into small pieces. Add the chicken
stock, vermouth, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and bring to
a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool to room
temperature and puree in an electric blender or food processor.
Strain the remove the pieces of tomato skin if desired and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with fresh basil. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Jul 11 06:40:46 2006