Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

America's test kitchen recipe's really works. I made a little twist, using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. The soup is creamy and delicious. I serve it with Grilled Cheese Sandwich dunkers.



Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced.
• Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
• 3 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, crust removed and discarded, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 2 cups of vegetarian broth.
• 2 tablespoon of brandy (optional)
• Table salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped chives

Direction:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in the bread and sugar, bring the soup to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
2. Transfer half the soup to a blender. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and process until the soup is smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Transfer into a large bowl. Repeat for the remaining soup. Rinse and dry the empty pot. Pour back the mixture into the pot, add broth and brandy (if using). Return the soup to boil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into a bowl, sprinkle some chive, drizzle with olive oil and serve. (The soup without garnish can be refrigerated in an air tight container up to 2 days. Warm over low heat, do not boil).