Cream of Tomato Soup With Green Chilies and Cilantro Pesto

Submitted per request for tomato soup and I thought this seemed really interesting and a bit different from the ordinary tomato soup. Recipe source: Bon Appetit (December 1986)

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 6  stalks celery, chopped
• 1  leek, chopped (white part only)
• 1  onion, chopped
• 3  lbs tomatoes, chopped (ripe or canned)
• 2  cups  chicken stock or 2  cups chicken broth
• 2  tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3  bay leaves
• 3  sprigs thyme or 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 3  sprigs marjoram or 1  teaspoon dried marjoram
• 6  tablespoons butter
• 6  tablespoons flour
• 2  cups half-and-half
• 4  poblano chiles or 4  anaheim chilies, roasted,peeled,seeded and diced
• 2  tomatoes, peeled,seeded and diced (I usually don't bother peelling tomatoes)
• 1  tablespoon sugar
•  salt
•  white pepper

• For the Cilantro Pesto

• 2  cups fresh cilantro leaves
• 1⁄2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• 1⁄3 cup  pumpkin seeds, hulled
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 5  teaspoons lemon juice
• 5  cloves garlic, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan or dutch oven over medium low heat. Add celery, leek and onion and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Add next 7 ingredients (tomatoes- marjoram) and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Strain soup, pressing on solids to extact as much liquid as possible, discard solids.
4. In same saucepan as used to make tomato broth/soup, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk for about 10 minutes.
5. Whisk in soup and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened.
6. Stir in half and half and continue simmering until heated through.
7. Add chilie, tomatoes, 2 tablespoons pesto, sugar, salt and pepper.
8. To make pesto: MIx all pesto ingredients (cilantro- salt) together in a food processor for 2 minutes until smooth. Store in jar in refrigerator (can be kept in refrigerator for 2 weeks or frozen).