Creamy Tomato Soup
ingredients:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 can San Marzano tomatoes in sauce (28 oz; I like Cento)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp celery seed
- pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp honey
- ⅓ cup half-and-half
- Add the tomatoes and sauce to a large bowl; if the tomatoes are whole, crush by hand. Mix in the sugar, salt, celery seed, black pepper, and chicken stock.
- Add the butter and olive oil to a 2 quart pot over medium-low heat.
- When the butter has melted, add the onion. Sweat over medium-low heat until translucent and soft (10 to 15 minutes).
- Add the flour and stir often for 5 minutes or until the mixture has developed a golden color (NOT brown).
- Pour the tomato mixture into the pot, stirring well to dissolve the flour-coated onion. Continue stirring until the mixture reaches a simmer, then reduce the heat and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Stir often, scraping the bottom of the pot.
- If you have an immersion blender, puree the cooked soup in the pot. Otherwise, carefully transfer the cooked soup to a blender and puree (you may have to do it in several batches; see this article for a good safe procedure).
- Add the honey and half-and-half to the pureed soup and stir well.
Serve with grilled cheese or a panini sandwich.