Roasted Tomato Soup (for two)

It rained non stop a couple days ago here in L.A., and as much as I would have enjoyed slapping on my rain boots, rain coat and stomping in puddles I decided to stay inside drink hot tea and make some roasted tomato soup.  With the heater cranked on, Joe Purdy playing in the background and raindrops pitter-patting on my windows it all began...

Ingredients:
8 ripe roma tomatos
4 pinches of sea salt
2 carrots diced
1/2 small red or yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic, leave whole
a couple knobs of butter
grape seed oil (or olive oil, whatever you have on had is fine)
1 handful of basil leaves, whole
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
more salt
little pepper


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Slice the romas down the middle and place them in a roasting pan.  Salt them, about 4 pinches and roast in oven for about 45 minutes.  While the tomatoes are roasting, dice the carrots and onion.   Saute carrots, onion and garlic cloves, with a TBS oil and knob of butter on med-high heat until brown and caramelized.  You can deglaze your pan with 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth if you choose.  Once the tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic are done place all in a blender with the uncooked basil, pulse a few times, then start adding your vegetable broth and blend until desired consistency is reached.  I like my tomato soup to be a bit thick, so I only used about 3 cups of the broth.   After blending empty blender into sauce pan, add another knob of butter and warm soup up on medium heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (I left the pepper out of this one.)

Toppings!
While my soup was warming up in the sauce pan I quickly crisped some kale and toasted pine nuts to top my soup.  
3 kale leaves
1/8 cup pine nuts
Heat a cast iron pan on med-high heat and place 1/8 of pine nuts in pan.  While pine nuts are roasting rinse 3 kale leaves and roughly chop them (i just ripped my up).  The rinsing and chopping should be done quickly as your pine nuts can easily burn.  Give your pan a shake to shimmy the nuts around and roast the other sides.  Once roasted (golden on each side) set them aside and leave burner on; add 1 1/2 TBS of olive oil and kale.  Be sure to stir well to coat kale in oil.  Cook until kale is slightly starting to brown and get crisp on edges.  Top soup with a big pinch of kale and a little pinch of pine nuts.  
Bon Appétit!!!
Ashley