creamy tomato soup with a buttery baguette crouton

i love soups and a good tomato soup in particular, but i always thought the canned soups were the good ones, until now. i made the best creamy tomato soup tonight. i say creamy, but it has crushed tomatoes in it lending it to be a little lumpy, yet delicious. i like the lumps, but i am sure you could do away with them with an immersion blender or a food processor. i don't recall where the recipe came from, but no matter, it's mine now. i switched it up quite a bit adding oregano and freshly ground black pepper among other goodies. it is delicious. no more slithering condensed tomato soup that goes splat in this house. it is homemade all the way.

oh, try sinking a pat of butter to the bottom of your bowl for even more flavor. oh baby....

i also bought a little baguette a the store, cut in pieces, basted it with butter, sprinkled with seasoned salt and baked in a slow oven till nice and toasty. it was a big fat crouton to float on top. mmmm.... mmmm good. enjoy.

beth's creamy tomato soup

3 cups tomato juice(you could use v8, but i just used plain tomato juice)
1 28 oz can good crushed tomatoes( i used hunt's)
1 cup fat free half and half
1 med sized shallot diced
3 tsp butter
1 to 1.5 tsp dried oregano(rub in between you hands to release the oils when adding)
2 tbsp of flour
1 tsp salt
3-4 tsp of sugar
freshly ground pepper or pepper

in a bowl whisk together two cups of juice, milk and canned tomatoes. set aside.

in a dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over med high heat, add the shallot and oregano. saute a few minutes until shallots are tender. add the flour and stir for another minute or so. now add the tomato/milk mixture. whisk to combine and keep whisking till the soup begins to boil. now reduce to low and add the other cup of tomato juice, salt, sugar and a good grind of pepper. let the soup simmer uncovered for about an hour, stir often to make sure it does not stick to the pot's bottom. taste and adjust your seasoning. you could even add some red pepper flakes for some bite.

i think this would be wonderful topped with parmesan or cheddar cheese, pretzels, goldfish crackers, just about anything. i even think the addition of some rice would be lovely. it makes for a tasty jumping off point.