Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Roasted Garlic

Don't let the title of this soup scare you.  It's very easy to make, and has so much more flavor than the canned variety.  Even if tomatoes aren't in season, cooking the tomatoes will bring out their flavor. 12               Roma Tomatoes, washed and cut in half lengthwise                   salt and pepper                   olive oil  1 ball          garlic, unpeeled 8-10            fresh basil leaves, chopped 1/3 cup         half and half ¼ tsp.         salt Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a glass 9 x 13 baking dish, place tomato halves cut side up.  Season tomatoes with salt and pepper, and then drizzle with olive oil.  Place garlic in garlic roaster.  Bake both items for 30 minutes. Let tomatoes cool for about 15 minutes.  While tomatoes are cooling, use a serrated knife to cut the top off of the garlic.  Separate and peel about 6 cloves to use in the soup.  Once the tomatoes have cooled, pull the skins off (they should come off very easily) and place tomatoes, peeled garlic, chopped basil,  half & half, and salt into a bowl.  Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.  Serves 4-6.

Got extra garlic? Save it in the refrigerator to use in other recipes.  Roasted garlic has a milder flavor than fresh, which makes it a great idea for soup recipes.  It can also be blended in cream cheese and used for Bruschetta Cups .