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1
Preheat the oven to 375u00b0.
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2
Put the dried tomatoes in a heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water.
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3
Drain the canned tomatoes and reserve the liquid; halve them and put in a shallow roasting pan; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with the thyme.
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4
Roast, turning once or twice, until the tomatoes are dried and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
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5
When the tomatoes are done, drain the dried tomatoes and pour their soaking liquid into the roasting pan.
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6
Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, breaking up the roasted tomatoes at the same time.
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7
Roughly chop the dried tomatoes and add them to the roasting pan.
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8
Put the remaining olive oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over med-high heat.
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9
When hot, add the garlic and cook just until it begins to color, a minute or so.
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10
Add the carrot and onion and cook until they start to release their liquid, about 3 minutes.
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11
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the honey and stir until it melts, just a few seconds.
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12
Add the reserved liquid from the canned tomatoes and continue stirring until the liquid dries out and darkens, about 5 minutes.
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13
Stir in the stock, along with the contents of the roasting pan.
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14
Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then decrease heat so it bubbles gently.
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15
Cover and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
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16
Garnish with the parsley and serve.
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17
*Wintertime Tomato and Rice Soup--add 1 cup short-grain rice, like Arborio, to the pan just after the reserved canned tomato liquid has cooked; increase the stock to 6 cups.
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18
*Elegant Wintertime Tomato Soup--use an immersion blender to puree the finished soup in the pan; or cool the soup to room temperature, carefully puree in a blender, and return to the pan to reheat; stir in 1 cup heavy cream, sour cream, or any milk and heat gently.