Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

So I think I've finally made all the hot sauce (salsa if you're not in Texas) that I'm going to make for the summer.  I've put up a lot of jars!  There's still tomatoes coming in and I needed to figure out what to do with them.  I looked for a good recipe for Tomato Basil soup but just didn't see anything that stood out to me.  Figured I'd try to take a little from this recipe, a little from that one, etc. and by the end I had something that I liked a lot.  You still have to skin your tomatoes but it's not too bad unless you're dealing with a LOT of them (like at one point I had both my sinks full of tomatoes).

Tomato Basil Soup

8 cups peeled and cut up tomatoes (doesn't have to be perfect)
1 medium to large onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
3 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock (I prefer stock due to it's heartier flavor)
1 pint half and half
2 tablespoons dried basil
5 tablespoons butter (use the real stuff)
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

In large dutch oven, saute the onion in  1 tablespoon of the butter until soft.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 20 seconds.  Next add in the tomatoes, basil, and chicken stock.  Cook until it boils then continue to slowly boil for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove from the stove and using a blender or an immersion blender, make the tomato mixture smooth.  In another large pot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and slowly add the flour to make a roux.  When the roux is a golden brown color, add ladle fulls of the tomato soup and whisk it in until it is smooth.  (This will take a little time, be patient so it won't be lumpy.)  Stir in the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.  Let this blend for a little while.  Turn off the stove and slowly add in the half and half.