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Cook the Book: Creamy Tomato Soup

Posted by Jenn Sit, December 20, 2007 at 1:30 PM

Whether you're bearing bitter cold times or basking in sunny California—nothing screams comfort food like tomato soup and grilled cheese. So if you're looking for Cozy In a Cup to take the bite off a long day (freezing or not), skip the canned condensed stuff, and check out the creamy tomato soup recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics. It's a simple recipe that would go great with the macaroni and cheese recipe from earlier in the week or its irresistibly buttery, gooey best friend: grilled cheese. Lately, I've been experimenting with floating a slice of crusty bread covered in melted cheese atop the soup (making it French Onion Soup's crazy cousin) with slurptastic success.

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP

- makes 3 quarts -

This tomato soup is also delicious without any half-and-half--or with twice as much. Add 2 cups of cooked white rice to it to make another classic: tomato-rice soup. The soup will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator; it can be frozen for up to 3 months without the half-and-half.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 26 1/2-ounce boxes vacuum-packed crushed tomatoes, or 10 cups canned crushed tomatoes
5 1/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth, skimmed of fat
3 sprigs fresh oregano, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup half-and-half
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock, and oregano; cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, un­covered, until thickened, about 45 minutes. Remove the oregano sprigs.

3. Slowly add the half-and-half, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with oregano. Serve hot.

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Tags: Cook the Book, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Original Classics, soups