Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

After putting off getting my wisdom teeth removed for many years, the time finally came when I couldn't avoid the inevitable any longer. In preparation, I stocked up on way too much apple sauce and decided to make a batch of soup. My tabasco peppers are finally beginning to ripen, so I decided to go with a tomato basil soup and kick it up a tad with a little heat!

If you choose to add the heat to this dish, you can use any kind of pepper that you please. I have just been patiently awaiting the ripening of my tabasco peppers, so they will be going in everything! The tabasco pepper is a variety of chili pepper with origins in Mexico, but you can find them everywhere in Louisiana. The peppers will turn from light green to yellow to orange and then red when ripe, and make for a colorful potted plant for the porch! My jalapeños have been producing for months so I wasn't sure if these were going to cooperate with the mild Ohio summer, but they finally decided it wasn't so bad here after all :-)  

 Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

• 6-8 fresh tomatoes (or 2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes)
• 1 cup fresh basil
• Half of a large red onion
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or 1 cup heavy cream for a thicker soup)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1-3 tabasco peppers (optional)

Chop all of the fresh ingredients. I didn't have quite enough fresh tomatoes on hand, so I used half fresh and half canned.

Heat a stock pot on medium and add olive oil. Add chopped onion, garlic, hot pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until onions begin to turn translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, basil, salt, and cracked black pepper. Bring to a bubbly boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Add milk (or cream) and blend ingredients either with a hand held blender or a food processor. You may want to work in batches if you are using a food processor, depending on the size of your machine. Once soup is smooth, pour back into the stock pot and re-heat on medium. Once it is heated back through, cook for 15-20 minutes until soup has thickened up a bit. Garnish with basil if desired and serve by itself or with a side of bread for dipping!