Laura's Spicy Tomato Soup

This is really, really yummy. Think about this with grilled cheese sandwiches. We were talking about soup and grilled cheese sandwich day in December up at Sharkeys. I will not be bringing this though since I have grilled cheese "duty." Think: Goat cheese, prosciutto, sour dough bread with some basil oil.

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 cups chicken broth
One 29 oz. can tomato sauce
One 29 oz. can diced tomatos, with juice
2 dashes of hot sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
Homemade croutons

1. In 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt half of the butter. When melted, whisk in the flour and stir until very smooth. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, until very thick and smooth.
2. In a small skillet, melt the remaining butter. Saute the onion and garlic over low heat until the onion is translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the flour mixture and combine. Slowly add the chicken broth, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition and allowing the soup to thicken slightly before adding more broth. When all the broth is added, begin adding the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well, then allowing the mixture to thicken before adding more. When all the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes have been added, season the soup with the hot sauce, honey, dill weed, pepper, chili power and basil. Turn off the heat, let cool, and refrigerate until party time.
3. The day of the party, reheat the soup over very low heat for about 45 minutes so that the flavors can blend. Stir frequently, as the soup will stick to the bottom of the pot. Garnish with croutons.

Laura's note: I only use the butter to make the roux, which means half as much butter is used. I carmelize the onions before I add them to the roux. Just sweat them in a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil for about 25 minutes. Add a dash of salt to pull the moisture out as the onions cook down. I use fire-roasted diced tomatoes and organic beef broth instead of chicken broth. I serve this with a dash of grated parmesan on top.

This, by the way, is from Paula Deen & Friends cookbook. Have to give credit where it is due!

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