Tomato Bisqué

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

½ cup diced celery

1 pinch salt

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth, or more as needed

1 (28 ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

½ teaspoon paprika

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

3 tablespoons uncooked jasmine rice

1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste

½ cup heavy whipping cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, divided

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and celery with a pinch of salt until onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Pour chicken broth and tomatoes into onion mixture. Bring to a simmer and season with paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turn heat to low and stir rice into soup; skim foam occasionally and simmer until rice and vegetables are very tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Add sugar.

3. Blend soup with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. Whisk 1/2 cup cream into soup and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and sugar if needed. If soup is too thick, add more broth; if soup is too thin, cook, stirring often, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

4. Ladle into warmed bowls; garnish each bowl with a drizzle of cream and top each with about 1 teaspoon chopped basil.