Fresh Tomato Soup

The weather has been so cold and nasty that I decided to make soup the other day. This tomato soup recipe is only good when the tomatoes are good—in the summer, and the later in the season and the better the tomatoes, the better the soup. So it is my ray of sunshine on a bad summer day. Keep the recipe handy—if the spring is any indication, we may be in for quite a few bowls this summer.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 slice onion

4 whole cloves

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

Directions
 In a pot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from the heat. Remove the cloves and run the mixture through a food mill or mixer into a large bowl. In the now-empty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.