Not-So-Basic Tomato Soup

Clean tomatoes and remove green crowns.

Bring several cups of water to a voil in a large saucepan or soup pan. Place whole tomatoes in boiling water just long enough to split and loosen their outer skin. You may have to do this in batches. Once the skins are loose, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and drop them in a bowl of ice water. when the tomatores are cool enough to handle, loosen the skins with your hands. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the hard inner core.

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately reduce heat.

Add fresh basil cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Stir mixture occasionally. Remove from heat.

Place food mill over a large bowl and put tomatoe mixture through food mill to puree. Discard any remaining skins or seeds that will not go through mill. (alternate method is to use a hand blender)

Return the pureed soup to a saucepan and allow to simmer. Stir in the honey and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.