Smoky Tomato Soup
Description
There’s tomato soup, and then there’s this tomato soup. We enjoyed this as an appetizer course in a multi-level dinner with friends, but according to NYT Cooking this would be absolutely amazing with a simple grilled cheese. That will definitely be next! – enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 c. butter AND 1 large yellow onion, finely minced
1 t. EACH kosher salt AND freshly ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 t. EACH crushed red pepper flakes AND smoked paprika
3 T. flour
2 cans (796 mL) whole tomatoes
3 c. good vegetable (or chicken) broth
8 fresh sprigs of thyme
2 T. brown sugar AND 2 t. ground ancho powder
For serving – crema, or sour cream thinned with water, or a drizzle of heavy cream AND chopped chives or green onion
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, add the onion, salt and pepper and sauté and stir for several minutes until the onion has softened. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes and paprika and stir for a quick minute until you can really smell the spices, then quickly sprinkle on the flour and stir constantly for another minute or 2 until everything starts to sizzle.
Carefully add in the tomatoes and all of their juices, crushing the tomatoes as much as you can (I find doing this with my hands the easiest, kitchen shears also work), and then stir in the broth, thyme, brown sugar and ancho powder. Bring this new mix to a simmer, then reduce to low with a lid mostly on, and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes to bring the flavors together. Check on it! This is also a good step to finish ahead of time if needed, and refrigerate for a day or 2 if that works best for your schedule.
Remove the thyme sprigs and either carefully blend the hot soup in batches or use an immersion blender (off-heat!) to smooth out the soup as much as possible. Taste and adjust seasonings as you wish, then serve up with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of chives.
