This particular cream of tomato soup recipe is pretty old, its the one my Mother always made for us. You can omit the spices and use herbs like basil and thyme if desired. This makes approximately 4 cups or 2 pints.

Last tomatoes of the season

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped. I used canned or home canned because you really want to tomatoes to be cooked and soft. If you have fresh tomatoes, just let them simmer til they are soft and then use them in this soup.

2 thin slices onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 T butter
2 T plain flour
2 cups milk

First combine the tomatoes, onion and seasonings in a medium saucepan, simmer 10 minutes, then strain, save the tomatoes and onions for the soup. There is usually not much juice, but if there is more than say, 1/2 cup, save it for another recipe like vegetable soup. If there is less than 1/2 cup you can use it in the soup along with the tomatoes. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the tomatoes and onions.

What you will do next is make a basic white sauce. In another saucepan, heat the butter til melted. Add the flour and stir til golden and cooked. Whisk in the milk.
Slowly add the pureed tomatoes to the white sauce, check for seasonings and adjust. Serve hot.

If you’d like to home-can this soup, you can increase the amount to as much as you’d like. Combine the tomatoes with all the ingredients except the flour, butter and milk. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, add to pint jars, leave 1/2″ headspace, add hot lids and rings. Pressure can for 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

To use: Make the above white sauce, add one pint of canned tomato soup mixture, whisk in, simmer and serve hot.