More home cooking!

So, I decided to make another from scratch recipe. This time I tried to duplicate Zupa's Tomatoe Basil Soup. I found this recipe online. I made it how it was written, but then decided to tweek it a little. I think it's pretty close to perfection now. The tweeked version is below. I read the instructions, realized I didn't know what pesto was, goodled a recipe for pesto, made the pesto from scratch. Quite simple really and the result is super yummy. The best of all, an entrie pot cost about $10.00. Sure beats the $6.00 a bowl at Zuppa's. Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Soup/Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup
Joy of Cooking
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2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
4 cans stewed tomatoes with juices
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoon pesto sauce
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1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices.
4. Simmer until hot, about 8 minutes.
5. Puree until smooth, either in a blender or using a hand blender (be careful either way--the soup is hot).
6. Return to the pot and stir in the salt and pepper.
7. Stir in the heavy cream and pesto sauce. Gently heat through and serve immediately.

Top with gazo pasta (I think that's what they're called)

Pesto

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor (Check Amazon.com's sales on Cuisinart food processors)
Method
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.