Herbed Tomato Soup

Begin by chopping enough tomatoes to yield 4 cups (roughly 4-5 large tomatoes or 8-10 small ones). Chop one sweet onion.

Place tomatoes and onion in a large pot over medium heat. Add a 14 ounce can of chicken broth, the basil, dill weed, and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes. Then process the soup mixture by using a food mill, a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor. If you do this in a blender just do so in small batches, leaving space in the canister for expansion; otherwise it may explode.

Pour the pureed soup into a large strainer placed over a bowl. Rinse out the pot; we’ll be using it again. Press the soup through the strainer with the back of a large spoon.

When strained, begin making a roux in the cleaned pot. Heat two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of flour over medium heat. Whisk vigorously and continuously while the flour cooks to a medium brown. Have the strained soup at hand to add to the roux when the flour is browned.

Add 1/4 cup of soup at a time to the roux while whisking, gradually thinning out the mixture, until all of the soup is incorporated.

Taste the soup to determine the sweetness; add the sugar as needed. Finish heating through and serve!