THE BEST TOMATO SOUP

No. I'm not kidding. And I'm not prone to superlatives. But this soup really is the best of its kind I've ever enjoyed. It's quick and easy and so good you'll want to serve it to guests. It comes from my new best chef, Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, who lives on an isolated ranch in Oklahoma with her hot cowboy, Marlboro Man husband, Ladd (with blue eyes that rival Paul Newman's), and their four children and dogs and cattle and horses. How bad can that be? Her recipes are simple and straightforward and her cookbook provides photographs of each dish as it's being constructed. She's on the Food TV channel most days at noon, where I discovered her. Try this. You'll not only like it; you'll LOVE it!

SHERRIED CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

serves 8

 

1 medium white or yellow onion

6 T unsalted butter (3/4 of a stick)

2 14 1/2-oz cans diced tomatoes

1 46-oz bottle or can of tomato juice (not flavored)

3-6 T sugar

1-2 T chicken broth, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes

freshly ground black pepper

1 C sherry (optional, but so good)

1 1/2 C heavy cream

1/4 C chopped flat leaf parsley (or the curly kind, whatever you have)

1/4 C chopped basil (fresh, please)

 

1. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

 

2. Dice the onion and sauté it in the butter until translucent, about 5-7 minutes (don't let it brown).

 

3. Dump in the tomatoes and stir to combine.

 

4. Dump in the tomato juice and stir to combine.

 

5. Add 3-6 T sugar - this is an important step; the sugar not only adds flavor but also neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes.

 

6. Add 1-2 T chicken broth or 3 chicken bouillon cubes.

 

7. Stir and bring the mixture almost to a boil. Turn off the heat.

 

8. Add the sherry (or omit if you're feeding kids or those allergic to alcohol) and stir to combine.

 

9. Add the cream and stir again.

 

10. Add the parley and basil and stir again - lots of stirring, but that's about the only labor aside from opening cans. My kind of meal.

 

Note: the first time I made this, I had stewed tomatoes in my pantry so I used those instead of diced tomatoes. And I only had 2 chicken bouillon cubes so I added a vegetable one. I'm not sure how this might have tasted if I'd followed the recipe exactly, but my result was so good, I'd make it this way again. This is the kind of soup you can alter to your own desire or taste. No salt, please; it's not needed. But use lots of pepper.