Sherried Tomato Soup

1 medium white or yellow onion

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

Two 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes

One 46 oz. bottle or can tomato juice

3 to 6 tablespoons sugar

1 or 2 tablespoons chicken base, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sherry

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped basil

1. Dice onion. Melt butter in large pot and cook onion till translucent.

2. Add diced tomatoes and tomato juice.

3. Add 3-6 tablespoons of sugar to combat tomato's acidity (I used 6 because I love love sweet tomato soup).

4. Add chicken base.

5. Add LOTS of ground black pepper. Heat soup till almost boiling and then turn heat off.

6. Add sherry and heavy cream. Stir.

7. Add the herbs. Add more pepper.

---Review---

At first I thought that the sherry was a little too overpowering, and considered suggesting that it be cut down to 1/2 cup in the future. But after letting the soup sit overnight I realized that the sherry is amazing. This soup is amazing. And it is my new favorite.

Being a vegetarian (or at least a recent vegetarian), I don't have any chicken base, so I left that out. Soup came out fine. Also, I sprung for some fresh herbs, which is totally not my style, and I think that it was totally worth it.

My new favorite tomato soup. Even better than Tucson's own Beyond Bread Tomato Basil Soup.