Heart-Healthy and Tasty to Boot

"When eating tomatoes, heat them up a little and put a little oil in them. It makes it easier to absorb the lycopene," Dr. Oz says. "Lycopene is another antioxidant, but it has additional benefits as well, which are particularly valuable for the heart."

Now don't try to tell me you don't know who Dr. Oz is. Unless you've been under a rock, you know that he is one of Oprah's pet protegees, a health and wellness doc with stellar credentials, including performing quadruple bypass surgery on former President Clinton.

This soup follows Dr. Oz's directions and is scrum-dilly, too. It would be perfect for a new mom meal. And my pregnant friend at work isn't too hip on a lot of flavors right now, but she makes a batch of this once a week for her lunches. It's a flavor you just won't tire of. A bit of zing, but not too hot for the sensitive. (This picture is BEFORE it goes through the food mill.)

I made a batch of this last night and brought some to work today. I offered some to my pregnant friend, but she already had some! The extra soup went to the bachelor dude on our team who, when pressed for a quote, said,  "This soup is the best thing that ever happened to tomatoes. It's spicy ... it's tasty ... it's zesty ... (words failed him here)."

As you may see, I'm on a bit of an Ina Garten kick right now.

Ina's Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 Tbsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp. table salt)

1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

6 garlic cloves (or 6 scant tsps. jarred garlic)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter (don't sweat it if it isn't unsalted)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (otherwise known as "sass")

1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes with juice

4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (buy two packs of the "living basil" at Hen House)

1 tsp fresh thyme (dried fine, but use 1/2 tsp)

1 quart chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper  in one layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 45 minutes. 

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, butter and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until onions begin to brown. Add canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken broth, and oven-roasted tomatoes, including liquid on baking sheet. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through food mill fitted with coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings (usually doesn't need any). Serve hot or cold.

Notes on the recipe:

• Doesn't matter if you use big tomatoes or small ones as long as they equal the correct poundage. Big tomatoes may need another slice or two or a bit longer in the oven. 

• If you don't have a food mill, Martha Stewart has a decent one at Kmart on the cheap. Keep cranking the stuff through the mill until it's gone. It isn't a strainer; it's supposed to puree the solids a bit. Scrape off the bottom of the food mill to get all the yummy stuff in your soup.