Elephant's Tomato Orange Soup - Erin

This soup...  I had it the first time I went to Elephant's Deli in Portland (here) while I was there visiting Caity and my friend Sarah.  We went back two more times in the next 36 hours!  A guy who worked there finally noticed on the 3rd visit and asked us why we were there so often.  It was all worth it though, because this soup is incredible!  The orange is just enough that you notice it, but not so much that it's overpowering.  We had it last week when it was a little cooler with delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, and it was the perfect end of summer tomato meal!  For that matter, it's perfect all the time...

what you will need

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a saucepan; add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add in the tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes uncovered, until it's thickened up some.

Puree the whole mix in a food processor or blender (carefully, it's still hot, and believe me, it burns).  The recipe I have says to run it through a sieve or strainer afterward, but I skip this step and barely even notice.  Stir in the orange juice and add the heavy cream.  Heat the soup to a simmer while stirring constantly, then check the seasoning and serve!  Extra cream can be drizzled on top if you're feeling fancy!