Tomato Pepperjack Soup (AMENDED)
A highlight of my trip to Pennsylvania was lunch with Kate in PA at Isaac's, a local restaurant/deli which serves sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. One of their favorite menu items is Pepperjack Tomato Soup, which they describe as "cream of tomato soup seasoned with sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic". Unfortunately, a Google search did not produce an authentic or even clone recipe of the soup. However, I did find a Taste of Home recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup, which someone suggested came very close to Isaac's soup with the addition of pepperjack cheese and Tabasco sauce. I have combined ideas from both sources, and come up with this recipe.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon basil (optional)?
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
1 (8-ounce) package pepperjack cheese
5 to 6 dashes Tabasco sauce
Instructions:
In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender.
Stir in tomatoes, soup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, basil (?) and garlic powder.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Stir in milk, cream cheese and pepperjack cheese; heat until cheese melts, stirring constantly.
Season to taste with Tabasco sauce.
Serve immediately.
Source: Recipe by LuAnn, based on ideas gleaned from Taste of Home's recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup, plus hints from Isaac's description of their Tomato Pepperjack Soup; posted by LuAnn for KRT.
Note: I may try reducing the amount of cream cheese next time, perhaps to a 3-ounce package.