Tomato Basil Soup

John has certainly perfected some of his cooking skills while on Twin Cities Live.  He’s the master at making the perfect grilled cheese – so we brought in the owner of Kafe 421, Antigoni Sander McCloud to show him how to make soup to go with it!

Makes 8 – 2 Cup Servings

Ingredients

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1 Tbsp. of Butter
1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Onion, Diced
4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
2 Shallots, Chopped
1 1/2 Cup White Wine
28 oz. Can Sodium Free Diced Tomatoes, Pureed in Blender or with Immersion Mixer
28 oz. Can Sodium Free Diced Tomatoes, Not Pureed,
32 oz. Tomato Juice
12 oz. Heavy Cream or Half and Half
1 Heaping Tbsp Dried Basil
1 Large Handful of Fresh Basil, Finely Chopped
1  Tbsp. Kosher Salt + More To Taste
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper + More To Taste

Directions

1)        Over a medium flame heat Olive Oil and Butter in a large soup pot.

2)        Add Onions, Shallots and sauté until translucent, 5 minutes.

3)        Add Garlic stirring until fragrant, 1 minute.

4)        Pour in White Wine, deglaze the pan, stirring up all of the dark flavorful pieces that             have stuck to the bottom

5)        Add the Tomato Purée, the Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Juice and Dried Basil.  Bring

            to a boil.

6)        Remove the soup from the heat and purée it in a blender in batches or purée it in the             pot with an immersion blender, until it has reached your preferred consistency.

7)        Return the pot to the stove and add the Heavy Cream, Salt and Pepper (start with     half the amount of salt, taste, and then add to your preference.  Over medium-high heat    slowly bring the soup back to a boil for a minute or two. 

8)        Remove the soup from the heat, taste for final seasonings, and stir in the fresh basil and serve!

Tig’s Tips!

If you wish to freeze this soup prepare it up to the point of adding the heavy cream.  When you re-heat it, add the cream in.

Serve this with a classic grilled cheese and top it with garlic croutons (see recipe below)

Garlic Croutons

Ingredients

1 French Baguette, cut into ¼” cubes
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Dried Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a bowl toss the bread cubes with a generous amount of oil, so that all of the cubes are coated.  Toss with Garlic Powder, Dried Parsley and Salt and Pepper, taste one to see if you need to add more season.

Put the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, tossing so that all sides get golden in color.  Allow to cool on a rack. These will save for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.