No matter how many tomato sandwiches, salads, or platters of thick, salted slices we eat, come August we can never seem to keep up with the overabundance of tender-ripe Beefsteaks, Early Girls, Cherokee Purples, and Arkansas Travelers taking up semi-permanent residence on the kitchen counter. Everyone develops a strategy for the happy problem of too many tomatoes: in some people it inspires bouts of generous and indiscriminate gift giving; in others, a frenzy of canning and freezing. This light and satisfying take on cream of tomato soup is my favorite solution.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 2 quarts / serves 6 to 8

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 onions, chopped

　　2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

　　8 garden-ripe tomatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled

　　2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

　　6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

　　2 bay leaves

　　1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

　　1 cup fresh basil leaves, plus shredded basil for garnish (optional)

　　1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled soft goat cheese, plus more for garnish (optional)

　　Crusty baguette, sliced and toasted, for serving (optional)

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the onions and cook and stir for about 10 minutes, until soft and light brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.

　　

Step 2

Core and roughly chop the tomatoes and add, along with their juices, to the onions. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the broth, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes and bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and the flavors meld.

　　

Step 3

Remove the soup from the heat, remove and discard the bay leaves, and stir in the basil and goat cheese. Using an immersion blender, standing blender, or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. (If using a blender or food processor, allow the soup to cool slightly before blending in batches.) Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if desired.

　　

Step 4

Serve hot with toasted baguette slices or chilled with a sprinkling of crumbled goat cheese and shredded basil, if desired.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.