TOMATO SOUP QUICK!!

Ok, everyone craves it at times..here's a great, simple recipe.

Ingredients: 2 big cans of Muir Glen or other good quality crushed tomatoes
                   lots of garlic - I use about 5 or 6 cloves
                   basil (no stems) -squeeze into a bunch and slice thinly
                   1-2 cups of vegetable broth
                   balsamic vinegar
                   greek yogurt - a dollop
                   OPTIONAL and SO good with your soup: toasts with cheddar cheese:
                       loaf of french bread or any bread, sliced into a "hearty" slice
                        sliced cheddar cheese

In a soup pot, throw in a couple dashes of olive oil and heat very gently at med. low.
Smash then remove peel from garlic,  throw it in the oil. DO NOT BROWN GARLIC: just gently cook until softened - about 4/5 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable broth: this is a taste issue - I like to use a lot less broth than tomatoes like 20% broth to 80% tomatoes...see even artists can do math.
turn up the heat a bit and bring to a gentle boil.  (PREHEAT broiler now if you're doing toasts)
pour cans of tomatoes in broth, add some salt, and bring to boil. 

Don't cook the tomatoes - just bring just to boil and take off heat.  NOTE: Let cool a tad so you don't have to go to the burn hospital if your soup sploshes on your body parts and seers you to smithereens.

Place slices of cheese on the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and broil - not too close, like the second to top rack.

Blend soup - I like it a little chunky - your choice.  Gently blend in the yogurt for a second or two. Carefully return pureed soup to pot - don't dump it in quickly - otherwise it'll look like Freddie came a-calling.

Take toasts out when they're a touch burnt around edges..yum. At this point you'll probably need to open the windows and reassure your neighbors when they run into your house with buckets of water. (Invite them to soup.)

 stir in a couple of good sploshes of balsamic vinegar and your slivers of basil - make sure you taste it before you serve with your cheddar toasts.  ENJOY!!