Madison's Cafe Tomato Soup - Recipe #61

Comparing my paper list to actual blog postings, I realized that I skipped writing about this decadent tomato soup. Madison's used to be on Delridge, right after you exit the West Seattle Bridge (where the Skylark Cafe is now). Trent and I would go occasionally and though as a child I loathed tomato soup, there was something deliciously different about Madison's. I see now that it was lots of butter, half and half and whipping cream. I got this recipe from one of my West Seattle friends who wrote it down before they closed. I suspect that I either wrote down the recipe incorrectly or they skipped a step or two when passing it on, but it is still delicious. It is a bit spicy, but that's part of the charm.

Madison's Cafe Tomato Soup

• 1/4 lb. butter
• 4 c. chopped onions
• 2 c. chopped green pepper (I think red pepper would make for a redder color soup)
• 4 c. sliced mushrooms
• 1 1/2 T. flour
• 1 T. cayenne pepper
• 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 2 c. whipping cream
• 1 c. half & half
• 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce

Melt butter. Add onion, peppers, garlic & seasoning. Saute. Add mushrooms and saute. Add flour 1 mint. Add creams. Cook until thick, don't boil. Add tomato sauce, cook 15 minutes.

I used my immersion blender to puree the soup, as I think this was one of the steps that was left off (I don't remember the soup being particularly chunky). We served this with garlic focaccia.