MAKES 6 to 8 SERVINGS
Most of us have fond childhood memories of canned tomato soup. I set out to re-create that classic flavor and ended up with the best tomato soup I’ve ever tasted. With four different kinds, this soup is about tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes, with the cream playing a supporting role. This is the soup to serve with the “Grilled Cheese” Dumplings here, one of my most popular restaurant recipes.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, with their juice, chopped
1¼ cups tomato juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons sriracha
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to form a dark sticky film in the saucepan, about 2 minutes. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook, stirring up the paste on the bottom of the pan, until they give off juices and soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the canned tomatoes (with their juice), the 1¼ cups tomato juice, the sugar, and the sriracha and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the soup is slightly reduced, about 45 minutes. During the last few minutes, stir in the cream, vinegar, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Using a hand blender, puree the soup in the pot. Or let the soup cool until tepid, and puree in batches in a blender with the lid ajar. Strain and then return the soup to the pot. (The soup can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat in the saucepan, adding water as needed if it is too thick.)