Shelly's Recipe

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP WITH WATERCRESS AND HAZELNUT PESTO

Category: Soups

4 cups whole milk
3 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 rounded tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup Watercress and Hazelnut Pesto or store bought prepared basil pesto, available on dairy aisle

Watercress and Hazelnut Pesto:
12 ounces watercress, stems removed
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 cloves cracked garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat the milk over moderate heat in a medium pot. Put tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, salt and pepper, sugar, flour, butter, celery into a food processor and grind until smooth. Pour mixture into milk and raise heat to bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Fill the food processor with watercress, loosely packed. Add hazelnuts, 1/2 of the oil and garlic cloves to the watercress in the processor. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to the processor bowl, set lid in place and pulse grind the mixture into a thick paste. Add any remaining watercress to the processor and grind into the paste by pulsing the processor again. Transfer watercress paste to a bowl. Stir in the remaining oil and the cheese. Taste pesto sauce and adjust seasonings.

Pour soup into shallow bowls and add a couple of rounded spoonfuls of pesto to each dish and stir it into the soup. Cut the patty melts corner to corner and dip in the soup as you eat.