This is one of my favorite creamy soups. My dad believes that any meal without tomatoes is not actually a meal. My mother’s only experience with tomato soup, however, was the condensed variety from a can. I wanted to make him something special so I created this recipe specifically for him and it is also the recipe I am asked for most often.
This recipe is the perfect combination of creamy and chunky. I have found that even the non-tomato-soup loving people, my mother included, become fans after trying it.
Be sure to blend with care.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1 28-ounce can, whole-peeled tomatoes with juices
½ stick butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, diced into small pieces
1 large carrot, grated
2 bay leaves
1 large garlic clove
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups tomato juice
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 14.5-ounce can, small-diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small saucepan, melt half of the butter and add flour to make a roux. (A “roux” is a French word for a thickener.) To make a roux, stir the flour into the butter until it looks like wet sand and let this boil for two to three minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not burn. It should still be light in color, not brown, set aside.
In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the other half of the butter and sauté the onion, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, and basil for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and tomato juice to the sauté mixture and bring to a light boil for 20 minutes.
Turn down the heat to simmer. Add the heavy cream and milk and lightly simmer for an additional 20 minutes be sure not to boil the soup after this point so you don’t curdle the cream.
After 20 minutes remove the bay leaves. Add one cup of soup to the small roux pan. Stir to combine until it is thick and almost paste-like. Add this mixture to the remaining soup, stir, and simmer about five minutes until the soup thickens.
With a stick blender or carefully in a beverage blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth.
Return the puree mixture to the soup pot. Add the can of diced tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes about 10 cups.
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