Tomato Soup (for canning)

Ingredients

• 12 cups of peeled, cored, and chopped tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry wine (I used a chardonnay, but a red would probably add an even better flavor)
• 2-4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Cook onions in the butter until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (or blend in a regular blender in small batches until smooth). Add wine, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer until reduced to desired consistency.

Pour into clean jars. Either freeze or can. Pressure canning is the preferred canning method for soups. Process the jars at 11 pounds for 25 minutes.

When ready to serve, add a bit of half and half or heavy cream to thicken and make it creamy. Yum!

Yield: 2-3 quarts

Source