One steamy summer afternoon, I came home from work to a countertop filled with extremely ripe tomatoes. I pulled out the stockpot and proceeded to make a batch of this soup. Just as I was finishing, the doorbell rang. It was my sister, Janie, and her family dropping off some clothes they had borrowed. She couldn’t understand why I would come home and make a pot of soup in 87-degree heat. I’m totally infatuated with soup, and I couldn’t let those tomatoes, which come around only once a year, go to waste.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 large Spanish onions, peeled and diced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 large, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 cups tomato juice
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 bunch chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kernels from 5 ears corn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a stockpot heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and sauté an additional 5 minutes. Add the stock, tomato juice, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are soft and tender. Add the sugar, fresh basil, and vinegar.

Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Add the corn kernels to the soup and return the pot to medium-high heat. Simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until the corn is cooked and the soup is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 12 servings.