Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Tuesday was a really rainy day and nothing sounded like it would hit the spot better than grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I had saved this recipe a few weeks ago and was waiting to make it sometime during the summer when I had fresh tomatoes, but I ended up just purchasing some from the grocery store and it actually turned out really really good!  It was the tastiest tomato soup I've ever had!  It was really flavorful, fresh, had the perfect amount of creaminess, and with just a touch of heat from the crushed red pepper.  I used half milk and half cream rather than the original heavy cream the recipe called for and I thought it was plenty creamy.  I also upped the crushed red pepper just a bit, added more dried basil, s & p, and a couple garlic cloves for extra flavor.  This is the first recipe I've tried from a new blog I found called Our Life in the Kitchen and I will definitely be visiting her site again!  Below is the modified recipe to the way we made it.

1 1/2 pounds fresh roma tomatoes
1 small onion
less than 1/4 cup Arborio rice - uncooked (this is rice normally used for risotto)
low sodium chicken stock - less than 1 large container or 2 cans would do
olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes
a handful of fresh basil leaves
2 or 3 small garlic cloves
dried basil & salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup half & half (half cream, half milk)

Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot.  Brown diced onion for about 5-7 minutes and add minced garlic once onion is almost done browning.  Add quartered tomatoes to the pan & a few pinches of red pepper.  Pour in enough chicken stock to just slightly cover the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Add in the rice and stir (it will look like not very much, but will grow as it cooks).  Continue cooking 15 -20 minutes on a low simmer, uncovered, until rice is cooked through.  Add in torn basil leaves.  Blend the entire soup once rice is tender.  Return to the pot and add cream and other seasonings to taste.  Serves fantastic with grilled cheese!

it all starts with a good bunch of fresh tomatoes

adding in your tomatoes

and your chicken stock

and your cream

finished product!  This is actually from Our Life in the Kitchen's blog, I forgot to take a picture of it finished!  Mine was a little darker than this.