Serves 8 - Preparation :15 Cook 1:00 Stand :00 Total 1:15

When you're a kid in Minnesota and you catch a cold, this is what they give you instead of chicken noodle soup. It's a great fall dish; fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden, pheasant fresh from the fields and the finest grains you can eat. Grilling the tomatoes gives this soup a richness you just can't get any other way.

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds tomatoes, beefmaster, or roma
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, medium
1/4 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 1/2 stalks celery
4 cups stock, pheasant or chicken
3 sprigs parsley
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon NAUGHTY NELLIE'S DEADLY TWELVE PEPPER BLEND, or
peppercorns, cracked
5 tablespoons rice, five grain blend
3 tablespoons carrots, julienne cut
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 BASIC ROAST PHEASANT, meat removed and cut into small
pieces
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small

Instructions

Grill 4 large beefmaster tomatoes or 3 1/2 pounds of Roma tomatoes over a hot flame until the skin gets browned or blackened and the skin loosens from the meat. Remove from the heat and cool until you can easily handle them. Once cool, peel the skin off and slice in half, remove the seeds as best you can and put the meat into a bowl.

Coarsely chop the onion, garlic, and 1 stalk of the celery and saute in the olive oil until soft but not browned.

Add the stock, tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper blend. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the stove and pour it through a strainer into a pot to remove any seeds and the larger pieces of vegetables. Press the vegetables with the back of a spoon to get all the potential flavor and body you can.

Return the strained soup back to the stove and add the rice, 1/2 stalk of celery chopped small, carrots and bouillon cube and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pheasant meat and diced tomato. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Serve with a fresh basil leaf for garnish.