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Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 Shallots, diced
- 2 medium Onions, chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 to 12 sprigs fresh Thyme, banded together
- 6 ounces Tomato paste
- 48 ounces of peeled, whole stewed Plum Tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Sprinkle of ground cloves
Instructions
In a large soup pot, sauté the Shallots, Onions and Garlic in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent along with the banded bundle of Thyme sprigs (about 10 minutes). Add the Tomato paste, breaking it up into as much of a single layer as possible, and caramelize it over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the peeled, whole stewed Plum Tomatoes along with their juices or purée, sugar, chicken broth, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce heat to low, simmering uncovered for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool down a bit. Remove the Thyme bundle and bay leaves. Purée the soup in batches in a blender until velvety smooth. (Do not fill the blender more than 1/3 full, particularly if hot, to avoid the steam blowing the top off of the blender). Pour the puréed soup into a fresh pot. Add the heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with optional ground cloves to taste for an extra special flavor. Serves: 10 or so. Terrific with cheddar and fontina grilled cheese sandwiches.
