This post originally appeared September 4, 2008.
Autumn made an early appearance today. It was a crisp 60 degrees this morning at 6:15 when I finally got out of bed. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl as I scanned the sweater possibilities in my closet this morning. So, in the spirit of the season, it wasn't too much of a stretch to add soup to the menu for dinner tonight.
And not just any soup. None of that canned schlop, thank you very much. Campbell's may be good when you're fighting the common cold, but not when you're celebrating the start of fall!
I decided to make the best soup I've ever tasted. It's my favorite and my family's favorite. My mother and I discovered the soup in the 1980s when we used to eat at a small hole-in-the-wall tea room in Tulsa known for its chicken salad sandwiches, quiche, cakes, pies, and other yummy goodies. The owner knew my Poppy from having worked with him at J&L Pipeline Supply, so Mom and I were always warmly welcomed and treated as honored guests.
Catherine's Tea Room was located at the dead-end of a strip shopping center just off of 41st Street between Yale and Sheridan and when Mom and I would eat there, I never failed to order a cup of the Cream of Tomato Soup. It's so good, I had to resist the urge to lick the inside of the bowl. Often, the promise of dessert was enough to hold my tongue at bay. That and my mother would have been appalled. She was big on good manners.
When the tea room closed in 2003, I nearly had heart failure. Mom and I made one last visit to our favorite lunching place and after finishing my cup of Cream of Tomato Soup, I mustered up the gumption to ask for the recipe. Now, Catherine used to publish a little "newsletter" that she placed on each table. Each monthly installment contained homespun quotes, news from the tea room, and a recipe, usually one of the sinfully decadent dessert recipes from the menu, but I'd never seen one for the Cream of Tomato Soup.
After hearing my request, Catherine disappeared into the kitchen and came out with a back copy of the newsletter. She had published the recipe, but I had somehow missed it. My heart beat with excitement as I placed the prized recipe into my purse. I went home that night and made it and I've made it many times over since.
Trust me when I say that the only thing better than the lusciousness of this soup is how easy it is to make. Here's the recipe: one (15 ounce) can of tomato sauce, one (15 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes, one cup of half-and-half, 1/4 cup of sugar, one teaspoon of basil leaves, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients together, heat through (but do not boil) and serve with Club crackers and cheese. I've heard that it's also good with bacon bits and caramelized onions, but I wouldn't know. By the time I get my crackers and cheese into the bowl, I'm ready to dig in.
Why mess with perfection?
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