The experiment of the day

I'm anxiously awaiting Fall weather. I love the cool air leading up to winter. I also love dinner-time soups and stews. Unfortunately it has been a little too warm for soups still, but I couldn't help myself any longer. I had four large and very pretty tomatoes from our CSA and some home grown basil. After a little research I settled on a roasted tomato rice soup. I'm very happy with the results. It was hearty, but not to heavy. I might try a few tweaks in the future, but this works for now.

 4 large tomatoes (I think ours was a variety of heirloom tomatoes)
Olive oil and salt for roasting tomatoes
1 tablespoon
1 medium chopped onion
1 large minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme (or a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme)
1 medium carrot, cut in small pieces
3 cups of vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon agave nectar
salt and pepper to taste
few leaves of fresh basil
a squirt of lemon.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half and place skin down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Drizzle the tomatoes with some more olive oil and sprinkle with salt (I like to use coarse sea salt). Bake for about 45 minutes. Let the tomatoes cool off slightly.

Once the tomatoes have been roasted, heat up the tablespoon of olive oil, add the onion and the garlic and let it wilt. Coarsely chop the roasted tomatoes and add to the pot. Add the thyme and let cook for just a minute. Add the chopped carrot, the vegetable stock or water, and a touch of salt (I use perhaps about half a teaspoon). Let it cook for about half an hour, or until the carrots are soft enough to process. Puree the soup (I use an immersion blender, but a blender would totally do the trick, I just loath to clean it...). Add the agave nectar, add the already cooked rice to the tomato soup and cook for about 10 more minutes. Once that's done, adjust the salt, add a few leaves of fresh basil, a touch of lemon and ground pepper to taste. Voilà!