Sassy Cream of Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb. ripe full flavored tomatoes
• ½ cup Sassy Mary Mix
• 4 cups Chicken stock
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup Butter
• ¼ cup All-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. Lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• White peppercorns

Directions

• In a pan, bring the stock to a boil
• Blanch the tomatoes and carefully peel them – remove any tough parts and all the seeds, reserving the juice for other uses
• Puree the tomato flesh in a processor and place in a bowl
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 3 tbsp. of the butter, add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until very tender but not browned
• Add flour and cook gently, stirring for 1-2 minutes
• Remove from the heat and pour in 1/3 of hot chicken stock and 1/2 cup of Sassy Mary Mix
• Beat vigorously with a whisk until the stock has blended evenly with the mixture without forming any lumps
• Pour in the remaining stock and mix well – return to a gentle heat
• Add the tomato puree and stir, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Remove from heat, beat with a hand held electric beater until well blended into a puree
• Add salt, freshly ground white pepper and lemon juice to taste (optional)
• Add the remaining butter and stir
• Serve hot