Cream of tomato soup

One of the best things about winter (along with snow, hot cocoa, blankets, books and cuddling) is that it’s soup season.  Warm, hearty, healthy and oh-so-delicious soup season.  It’s like a hot bath for your tummy and a liquid savouriness (yes, that’s a word – at least with respect to this recipe) for your mouth… at least my Mom’s cream of tomato soup is.

It’s full of nutritious ingredients, and with just enough butter and spice to make it more hearty than healthy in taste.

I give you the best cream of tomato soup you will ever taste:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions (for a sweeter soup, use yellow onions, for one with a bit of kick, use spanish onions)
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried dill weed
• 3 cups of tomatoes – peeled and quartered  (we used canned tomatoes from Costco)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk

Now when I make soup, I make a lot.

The ingredients above will make 6 servings. We usually multiply that by 10 and make a day of it to put a monster batch in the freezer.

Cream of Tomato Soup

1. In a large soup pot heat the oil and cook the onions, celery, basil and dill weed until the onions are soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. In another saucepan melt the butter.
5. Stir in the milk and flour.  Cook and stir mixture constantly until it is thick and bubbly.
6.  Add the milk mixture (rue) to the tomato mixture in the large soup pot.
7. Add the chicken stock and leave uncovered until the cream of tomato soup comes to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Once cream of tomato soup has cooled, transfer to a blender and purée.

Label and store in the freezer for those rosy-cheeked winter nights.

I swear by this when I’m feeling under the weather.  It’s rich, creamy, savoury and the vegetables and onions are sure to scare away any virus that dares intrude my ‘temple’.

You’re going to love this!

Love you Mom!

SaveSave