Ingredients
2lb fresh tomatoes, chopped
1-2 Cans tomatoes (for consistency and color)
1-2 cans tomato paste
4-6 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Cup Red Wine
Salt
Pepper
Oregono
Fresh Basil
3 Bay Leaves (Crumbled)
Optional Hot Pepper
Chicken Stock (See my note about homemade stock vs commercial stock) Consisting of
1 Chicken Carcass
1 Cup Onions
1 Cup Celery
1 Cup Carrots
4-6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 Cup White Wine
Preparation
Prepare your chicken stock as usual, take your chicken carcass, add your mirepoux (1 cup onions, carrots, and celery),add your wine, add salt and pepper to taste, and your chopped garlic cloves. Make in a stock pot and add approximately 1 quart of water, then bring to heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Prepare tomato sauce, take chopped tomatoes, add canned tomatoes, (fresh tomatoes are very inconsistent in color and flavor, so I add two cans of chopped tomatoes to punch it up, especially if it’s off season), wine, garlic, oregono, and fresh basil, add salt and pepper to taste. A note on herbs and seasoning, you need more fresh herbs than you think. I usually use 1-1.5 ozs of both oregono and basil for this recipe. Bring to heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes the longer the better. Once both the stock and the sauce are done, puree the sauce, then combine the stock and sauce in a stockpot, ( should be about 1-2 quarts stock) and simmer for another 30 minutes minimum, the longer the simmer the deeper the flavor. If you are going to add a hot pepper for bite, add it now before the last simmer. If your soup is too thin, add your tomato paste to thicken. Once the soup is the right consistentcy, serve hot, then add fresh basil chiffonadde to each serving, if you wish add some cheese as well.
