My Deluxe Tomato Soup! - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can tomato soup, preferably Campbell's
6 ounces tomato paste
1 (11 1/2 ounce) can tomato juice, V-8
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon onion powder
heavy cream (optional)

Preparation

Put diced tomatoes in blender. (Don't blend yet).
In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter, and sautee the onions until almost carmelized, (you really want that flavor in the soup). Add garlic and sautee' just until soft, 1 to 2 minutes, (you absolutely do NOT want to burn the garlic!).
Add the onion/garlic mixture to the blender with the tomatoes and puree that all together, to desired consistency. I liquefy it.
Add this mixture back to the saucepan.
Add the tomato soup and the tomato paste. Use some of the chicken broth to rinse out the rest of those ingredients from the can, then pour that in along with all of the remaining chicken broth. Add the V-8 juice.
Stir all together very well, until the paste has \"dissolved\".
Add the brown sugar, black pepper, and onion powder. Increase or decrease these seasonings to taste.
Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
At this point, you can stir in 1/2 cup (or to your desired richness) of heavy cream to make this more of a creamy tomato soup! Just warm through.
Serve immediately.