Jason's Deli Style - Tomato Soup

Pin It Now! The other day I had some cherry tomatoes to finish up. Their skins had really started to wrinkle up and they started losing their glossy finish. I did not plan to make the soup Jason's deli style but on tasting it reminded us of the soup we had at this place sometime ago. In fact it tasted even better and healthier than the Jason's deli version.
It's really very simple to make and requires very few ingredients.Now on to the recipe.

1 pint of cherry tomatoes ( or 4-5 roma tomatoes. I used 2 roma tomatoes with 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes)
2 handfuls of shredded carrots ( or 2 medium sized carrots)
8-10 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
a glug of olive oil
a few fresh basil leaves
4-5 tblsp whole milk/heavy cream ( I used whole milk)
shredded mozarrella or mexican blend cheese to garnish
croutons to garnish

1. Preheat over to 375 F
2. Spread the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet.Coat these with salt,pepper and olive oil.
3. Roast until the garlic cloves turn light brown and give out a nice garlicky aroma. The tomatoes will also soften up to release their juices.
4. Stir-fry the carrots separately.
5. Let the tomatoes,garlic and the carrots cool down.
6. Blend the above to a soft paste.
7. Heat some oil in a soup pot. Add a little cumin (optional). Put the paste.
8. The paste will splatter so be careful. Then add some hot water to adjust the consistency.
9. Once soup has boiled for a few minutes simmer and add the milk/cream.
10. I added a little sugar at this point since mine felt a bit tangy. Add a few torn basil leaves and let stand for 2-3 mins. Garnish with croutons and cheese and serve.

This soup feels so good on a cold day. It goes well with a bread or even some rice. It tastes creamy,sweet and tangy. The carrots lend their sweetness and the roasted garlic gives it a nice background flavor. The basil add a nice freshness to the soup.

We had ours for a saturday brunch with some brown rice pilaf. We licked our bowls clean !