Hello, my readers! As we all know, winter is coming—it’s nearly upon us, in fact. And what’s better on a cold winter’s day than a bowl of hot, delicious soup? As I was sitting in my office recently, thinking about a new recipe for my PMQ readers, it occurred to me that we haven’t made soup in quite some time. Soup is the ultimate comfort food—it will warm our customers up for those colder days and nights. It’s also a great starter for lunch or dinner.

As the name suggests, this soup is creamy, savory and just plain good for the body and the soul. Try it out at home, and if you like it, put it on your menu this fall. Mangia!

 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 lb. Italian tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 tbsp. fine sugar

5/8 c. heavy cream

2 c. dried fusilli pasta

3 basil leaves (for garnish)

¼ c. deep-fried croutons

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

Pinch of salt, pepper and baking soda

 

Directions:

Boil pasta until al dente. Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add one vegetable bouillon cube with tomatoes, sugar and baking soda. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer.

Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled, purée the soup in a blender and pour through a strainer back into the pan. Add second bouillon cube, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked pasta. Pour the soup into warm tureens, swirl around the heavy cream, season with salt and pepper and garnish with basil and croutons.

 

Chef Santo Bruno, Food & Ingredients