Tomato Asiago Soup

We love to eat soup during the winter, and since Mr. P loves Broccoli Cheddar Soup I decided to put some in the crock pot last night so it would be ready for lunch today. As I was putting the finishing touches on the soup I made the horrifying (and disgusting) discovery that several ants came to their demise in my crock pot during the night :O I guess you could say I'm one of those snooty types that doesn't like to eat bugs, so sadly, down the drain went the Broccoli Cheddar :(  

So I had to improvise. I had four hungry people craving something, anything from a sourdough bread bowl over here! So I loosely followed the same method that I would use to make any other cream based soup. I took a few small tomatoes and chopped them, threw in a small handful of chopped onion for good measure (although this ingredient is optional). I sauteed the tomato pieces and onion in a tablespoon of butter until the onion was soft. I also added a dash of garlic powder and dried basil.

After the previous step, I added 2 6oz cans of tomato paste, then 2 14.5oz cans of chicken broth. I let all this simmer for about 15 minutes. Add a cup of shredded asiago cheese and a cup of half and half (you could also use heavy cream which is actually the proper ingredient for a cream based soup but I didn't have any! Half and half worked great) If you don't have asiago cheese Im sure shredded parmesan would taste just as good :)

Let this mixture simmer for about another 5 minutes. If you like your soup thicker, add a bit of cornstarch and mix well. Serve in a sourdough bread bowl (I got mine from Costco) or a regular bowl. You can garnish this with fresh chopped basil for a chiffonade, top with extra cheese or croutons. Cuddle up on the couch (yes, I eat on the couch!) and ENJOY :D

Ingredients

2 or 3 chopped Roma or Amorosa Tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion (optional) 

1 tablespoon of butter

2 6 oz cans of tomato paste

2 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth 

1 tablespoon of crushed dried basil (optional) 

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder 

1 cup of shredded asiago or parmesan cheese 

1 cup of half and half or heavy cream 

Serve in a toasted sourdough bread bowl & garnish before serving