I've said it before, but soup is one of my favorite things to can. There is nothing quite like grabbing a jar of soup from the basement on a cold winter's night and having a homemade dinner ready in a matter of minutes. Throw a crusty grilled cheese in there and you've got a perfect comfort food! If you are looking for a tomato soup recipe, here is the one that I came up with this year. I'm rather excited about! I made a double batch and ended up with 6 quarts. However, I probably could have let it cook down a bit more so that it was a little thicker. I think the little bit of sugar helps soften the acidity of the tomatoes and wine. Add more or less to taste. Enjoy!!

Tomato Soup

12 cups of peeled, cored, and chopped tomatoes

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup dry wine (I used a chardonnay, but a red would probably add an even better flavor)

2-4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

ground pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Cook onions in the butter until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (or blend in a regular blender in small batches until smooth). Add wine, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer until reduced to desired consistency.

Pour into clean jars. Either freeze or can. Pressure canning is the preferred canning method for soups. Process the jars at 11 pounds for 25 minutes.

When ready to serve, add a bit of half and half or heavy cream to thicken and make it creamy. Yum!

Yield: 2-3 quarts