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Tuscan Tomato Bisque with Roasted Garlic Cream and Pesto

Yield:	Serves 8
Prep time:
Cook time:
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Nugget Signature Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup celery, large dice
• ½ yellow onion, large dice
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
• 4 tablespoons flour
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 28 oz. can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cream
• ⅓ cup Sherry
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Pesto Sauce:
• 2 cup fresh Basil leaves
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Roasted Garlic Puree:
• 1 Garlic Head, Unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup sour cream
• additional 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt to taste

• Bleu Cheese Crostini Croutons:
• Half of a Sourdough Baguette
• ½ stick Butter
• 1 tsp. Garlic
• 2 oz. Bleu Cheese crumbles

Preparation

Sauté garlic, onions and celery in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender.  Add Chile Flakes.  Sprinkle with flour and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add white wine, chicken stock crushed tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes; simmer for 20 min.

Puree in blender or with stick blender (only add 1/3 full, as not to burn yourself) and then return to stove.  Add cream and sherry.  Adjust heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes to marry the flavors.

Garnish with Pesto (store bought or homemade) and Roasted Garlic Puree

Pesto Sauce:

Put the basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt and olive oil in blender at high speed.
If it is too thick, you can thin it down with a little chicken broth.  Stop occasionally to scrape down sides.  Add cheese and continue to blend until it is smooth.

Roasted Garlic Puree:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut ¼ inch off top of garlic head.
Place garlic head in a small shallow pan and drizzle the olive oil on top.
Bake until cloves are golden brown, approx. 30 – 45 minutes.
Cool slightly and press the individual garlic cloves between your fingers to release garlic.

In a blender; add the garlic, chicken broth, olive oil and sour cream.
Blend until pureed.  Add to squeeze bottle and drizzle in soup.

 Bleu Cheese Crostini Croutons:

Slice sourdough baguette into about ½ inch slices.  Melt butter and garlic and then brush each slice with garlic butter.   Bake at 350°  turning over when side is golden.  After you turn it over, add some bleu cheese and continue to bake or you can broil the right before it is ready, to melt the cheese a bit.  This should take approx 10-15 minutes total.


To Assemble Soup:
Add soup to a bowl, swirl with Garlic Cream and dot with Pesto.  Lay a Crostini Crouton on the side.