This recipe for baked bread and tomato soup calls for a combination of cherry, grape and currant tomatoes, but any variety or blend of small tomatoes will work.

Cherry tomato and          garlic bread soup

Start to finish: 11⁄2 hours (30 minutes active)

Servings: 8

8 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices (about 10 to 12 slices)

Olive oil

1⁄2 cup thinly sliced garlic cloves, plus 1 whole clove

4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

21⁄2 quarts chicken stock

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 pints cherry, grape and currant tomatoes, halved

1⁄4 pound grated Parmesan cheese

3⁄4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus thinly sliced fresh basil for garnish

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the slices of bread with olive oil on both sides, then arrange the slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven, flipping the slices halfway through, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 to 20 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature.

Cut the 1 whole clove of garlic in half. Rub the cut sides of the garlic halves over the toasted bread slices. Set the bread aside.

While the bread toasts, in a large skillet over medium, heat 1⁄4 cup of olive oil. Add the onions and saute until slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the 1⁄2 cup of sliced garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Season the chicken stock with salt and pepper.

Lightly coat a 21⁄2-quart baking dish with olive oil. Layer half of the bread slices over the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon half of the onion mixture over the bread, then top with half of the tomatoes, a third of the grated Parmesan cheese and the chopped basil.

Layer the remaining toast over the onions and tomatoes, then top with the remaining onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the dish.

Add 3 cups of the stock and wait 5 minutes for the bread to absorb it. Add another cup of stock and wait another few minutes. Continue adding stock (up to 6 cups total) until the liquid comes to within 1⁄4 inch of the top of the dish. Reserve remaining stock.

Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the ingredients, then cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil, increase heat to 400 degrees and bake until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Once cooled, cut into 8 servings and arrange each in a shallow serving bowl.

Heat the reserved chicken stock, then ladle some around (not over) each serving. Garnish with basil and parsley.

SMOKED TOMATO SOUP

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: 6 to 8

5 pounds firm tomatoes, quartered

1⁄2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

3 sprigs fresh basil

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups diced yellow onions

3 tablespoons sliced garlic

Croutons, to serve

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for smoking. For charcoal, light the coals or briquettes. When white hot, add pieces of damp hardwood, such as oak, hickory or apple wood, then bank the coals and wood to one side.

For a gas grill, turn one side of the burner to high, while leaving the other side off. Add pieces of damp hardwood, s0uch as oak, hickory or apple wood, to the lit side of the grill according to the directions for your grill.

In a metal roasting pan, toss the tomatoes with 1⁄4 cup of the oil, 1 tablespoon of the salt, all of the black pepper and basil and thyme. Place the roasting pan on the cool side of the grill.

Cover the grill and open any air vents. Cook until the tomatoes are charred and tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium, heat the remaining 1⁄4 cup of the oil. Add the onions and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender.

When the tomatoes have cooled a bit, use a blender or food processor to puree until smooth. Add the tomato puree to the onions. Reheat as needed, then ladle into bowls and serve with croutons.

(Recipe from Amy Goldman’s “The Heirloom Tomato,” Bloomsbury, 2008)