Tomato-Basil-Zucchini Bisque

My tomatoes aren't ripe yet but I have lots of baby zucchini and plenty of basil. This afternoon I tried out a new version of tomato bisque I made up on the fly and it was delicious. This is a great way to use the ubiquitous zucchini in your garden and so easy to make. Normally I would use fresh tomatoes from my garden but that will have to wait at least another week. I resorted to canned tomatoes- but here's the catch. If you are making tomato sauce, bisque, or any recipe where you need tomatoes with a lot of flavor DO NOT use the canned American tomatoes. I now keep a few cans of San Marzano tomatoes from Italy in my pantry. You can find them in specialty food stores, Italian markets, and even some supermarkets that have Italian imports like Cento. These imported tomatoes are so much better than the bland hybrid varieties cultivated and canned by agribusinesses. These are so flavorful. They are worth the extra expense! The bisque was delicious. My only regret is I didn't have a nice loaf of crusty bread on hand to have with it.

Tomato-Basil-Zucchini Bisque

1 28oz can of Cento's San Marzano tomatoes
4 baby zucchini, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, minced
3-4 T of chopped fresh basil
2T olive oil
1 T chicken bouillon paste (I use Better than Bouillon)
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onions in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and saute saute for another minute.
2. Add tomatoes (including the juice they are packed in).
3. Add zucchini and basil.
4. Bring to a boil and stir in water and bouillon paste.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or food processor).

This makes enough for about 4-5 one cup servings.