Creamy Tomato Soup

From hot and humid to cool and rainy in a single weekend. Fall is definitely here! We needed to warm ourselves up with something tasty in a hurry this past weekend and came across this amazing recipe from the National Honey Board. A creamy tomato soup that has a a little of everything in it. We used tomatoes that we canned a few weeks ago but store bought stewed tomatoes work just as well. We thankfully had a nice enamel pot to get this recipe going. It's better to use enamel or ceramic cookware when cooking high acid foods like tomatoes. Adjust your flavoring too! We like our tomato soup on the spicy side. While this recipe only uses a tablesppon and a half of honey it will cut the acidity out nicely.

Of course... you should serve this with a grilled cheese for dipping!

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) - stewed tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp. - hot sauce

1 1/2 T - honey

1 1/2 cups - half & half

1 tsp. - pepper

1 tsp. - salt

1 T - balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. - Italian seasoning

1 tsp. - garlic paste ot freshly minced garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

Using a non-stick or enamel 1 - 2 qt. saucepan, add all the ingredients except the half & half. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

In a blender or using an immersion blender, puree the tomato mixture until smooth, if using a blender, return the puree to saucepan.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the half & half, heat for an additional 10 minutes and serve hot.

TIP

It is always a good idea not to use any metal or aluminum cookware when preparing acidic foods such as tomatoes, the cookware can give the food a metallic taste.