What have we been seeing lots of recently? Basil. Tomatoes. Carrots. Here are a couple of interesting soup recipes which caught my eye. Hope they sound good to you too! - Debbie.

Tuscan Tomato-Basil Soup
(modified slightly from a recipe in my Bon Appetit clipping file)
serves 4

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 C chopped onions
3 or 4 small potatoes (about 14 oz.), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 lbs. tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 C (or more) water
1 C (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
4 tsp. chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 15 minutes. Add potato and sauté until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir until juices form, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Thin with additional water, if desired. Stir in the cup of whole basil leaves. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 bowls and sprinkle each with a teaspoon of chopped fresh basil.

Jamaican Carrot Soup
(from an un-dated San Jose Merc. recipe clipping, credited to a cookbook called "Soups for All Seasons" by Jan Lyman)
serves ?? (makes about 5 cups)

4 C chicken (or vegetable) broth
4 large carrots, scrubbed and cut into half-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. curry powder (optional)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash of Tobasco
salt & pepper to taste
diced apples for garnish

Place broth, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, Worcestershire sauce and curry powder in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, or until carrots are very tender. Cool slightly. Blend in batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Add nutmeg, Tobasco, salt and pepper. Serve garnished with diced apple.

And since we're on a roll here with pureed soups, here's a modification I made recently to my 'Green Soup' recipe of seasons past (see weeks 15 and 16 from the 2000 season in the online recipe database), which turned out to be particularly tasty! - Debbie

Nutty Green Soup

In the original recipes, you sautéed garlic then added chopped green veggies and broth, simmered 'til done, then pureed all with cilantro, cumin and lemon juice and garnished with pepitas (toasted, salted pumpkin seeds). Well on a lark (and because I'd tasted -- and liked -- other soups where the nuts were a part of the puree, not the garnish), I threw a large handful of pepitas right into the blender while pureeing the veggies, and WOW. It really made for a rich and wonderful-tasting soup! Who knows, maybe you could toast and puree in some other kind of nuts with equally tasty results!