Tomato Basil Soup with Cheddar Dill Scones

Necessity is the mother of invention, right? I had several food items I needed to use up quickly before they went bad so I had to get creative. Which lets face it can be dangerous or brilliant. I am leaning towards brilliant this time!

First up I had a giant bowl of tomatoes that were starting to go bad and some Basil that was past it's prime but still usable. Enter Tomato Basil soup!

Tomato Basil Soup

2 lbs carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cups pureed tomatoes (skin and all)
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup milk

Add the olive oil to a pan and saute the carrots and onion till cooked through. While waiting for the carrots and onion mixture to cook puree your tomatoes in a blender. Pour your tomato mixture through a cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer to remove any tomato skins or seeds.  Add the tomatoes to a medium sized sauce pan along with the garlic.

 Once the carrots and onions are cooked add them to the blender with the basil and puree them with a bit of the chicken stock to keep everything moving. Once pureed add to the tomato mixture and heat to a simmer. Add milk and continue to simmer for 15min to combine the flavors.

I stored mine in mason jars in the fridge just for the ease of storage and pouring into bowls (and because my husband says I am obsessed with filling jars full of stuff).

I had a bowl of the soup right after making it and felt it needed something to go along with it. I thought about making some standard rolls but wanted something a bit different. I had some dill that was going bad and needed to be used so I decided to make a dill scone. I also had some cheddar cheese leftover from quesadillas  a few nights before so I added that as well.

Cheddar Dill Scones

2 cups flour
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter cut into chunks
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dill
1/2 cup milk

Combing all dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Add butter chunks in and use your whisk attachment to work the butter into the flour till it reaches a corn meal consistency. Change to your paddle attachment and add in remaining ingredients till the dough just comes together. Turn out on the counter and press to 1 in thick circle being sure not to overwork the dough. Cut into 8 triangles and place on baking sheet. Bake 400 for 20min till golden brown.

They were super easy and quick to make and so yummy they all disappeared in a matter of minutes.