Recipe: Summer Tomato Soup, Sicilian Style (blender)

SUMMER TOMATO SOUP, SICILIAN STYLE

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 bunch green onions, minced
1/2 cup minced carrot
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach
18 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
1 teaspoon sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add red and yellow onions; saute about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add green onions, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg and tomato paste. Stir and cook 5 minutes.

Wash spinach and remove stems. Blanch leaves briefly in boiling water. Shock leaves in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well; chop coarsely.

Add chopped tomatoes, spinach, sugar, orange zest and orange juice to pot. Add stock and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in basil and remove from heat. Puree soup in a blender in batches.

Return to pot; season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Reheat and divide among warm bowls to serve.

*TO PEEL AND SEED THE TOMATOES:
To loosen the skins, first half-fill a large pot with tap water; cover and place over high heat. While the water heats, use a small, sharp paring knife to remove the core at the stem end and slit an X on the other end of each tomato. When the water is boiling vigorously, place a single layer of tomatoes in the pot. After 15 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes. Place them in a large pan of ice water for a few seconds until they are cool enough to handle comfortably. Transfer the tomatoes from the cold water to a colander, and pull off the skins. Repeat with any remaining tomatoes.

To seed the tomatoes, halve them horizontally, then squeeze each half, cut side down, using a spoon to scrape out any seeds that cling to the flesh. The tomatoes are ready to be chopped into small pieces or dice.

Makes about 9 cups, 8 to 10 first-course servings, 4 or 5 main-course servings
Source: Annette Gooch to The Buffalo News, July 31, 2002