My Slashfood friends, I am a sadist. Or is it masochist? I never knew the difference between the two.

Either way, for some reason known only to, well, to no one, I decided to do the most punishing thing ever on a hot summer day: turn on the oven. I know, I must be crazy. The inexplicable thing is, however, that I turned it on to roast something that doesn't need to be roasted. If I needed to make a roasted garlic puree, I could justify it. If I felt like roasting a lemon herb chicken for Sunday supper, it would make sense.

My friends, I roasted tomatoes. Tomatoes! At this point in the season, there is absolutely no need to roast produce that is practically dripping with fresh flavor right off the vine!

However, I couldn't resist after I came across a recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup while flipping lazily through Marcus Wareing's Cook the Perfect cookbook.

First, a few notes about the book. I don't necessarily consider myself a rookie in the kitchen, though you would never guess by what little actual cooking I've been doing lately. Thus, at first, i thought this book would be of little use to me, covering things as basic as chicken stock. However, though the book's title and cover insinuate lessons for a novice with things like pancakes, muffins, and sauteed potatoes, it was still a nice collection with some useful tips, and if for nothing else, gorgeous pictures. Besides, in a world where things get more and more complicated by the minutes, being reminded of the luxury and beauty of simplicity is a good thing.

Now, on to the tomato soup. I have to admit that I was turned onto the recipe by the photo., which also happens to be the cover shot of the book. The tomato soup looks a light, creamy orange, but the recipe has nothing that would render such a color. Yes, I know all about food styling and photoshop, but is it so wrong that I chose to ignore all that? Maybe I wanted to be seduced by a soup, okay?

I read through Marcus Wareing's recipe, but decided to make a few minor changes based on my personal taste. (I'll not the exact changes I made.) You can also modify his recipe to make the soup completely vegan by leaving out Worcestershire sauce and using vegetable stock rather than chicken stock. Of course, you can also do the sane thing and wait until summer's heat is completely over before turning on your oven to a ridiculous 475 degrees.

Sarah's Interpretation of Marcus Wareing's Roasted Tomato Soup

Heat a roasting pan for 3-4 minutes in a 475 degree preheated oven. Pour 2/3 c. olive oil ( I used half) into the pan and add 1/2 small white onion, chopped (I used the whole onion), 3-4 sliced garlic cloves (I left mine whole and used 6 - I love garlic), and 2 1/4 lb fresh ripe tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, stir to coat everything with oil, and roast for 15 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp tomato paste, stir, and roast for 5 more minutes.

Add 1 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 3 sprigs each of basil and cilantro (I left out the cilantro and doubled the basil), and roast for another 10 minutes.

Pour the entire contents of the roasting pan into a large bowl, add 2 Tbsp each of Worcestershire sauce and Balsamic vinegar, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 min. I waited as long as I could, but surrendered to temptation after 20.

Puree the contents in batches until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a pot. My friends, I am lazy and did not do this. Let's just say that I prefer things "rustic." Or maybe I am just lazy.

Heat to simmer, add 2 c. chicken stock (I actually had to add a little more than 2 cups because of all those onions) and stir well. Taste and add seasonings (salt, pepper, Worcestershire, Balsamic) to your taste.

Serve hot.