1 medium white or yellow onion
1 stick butter
2 cans 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes
1 can 46 ounces tomato juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chicken base, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon parsley
1 cup sherry, optional
To begin, dice the onion. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Throw in the onion and cook until translucent.
Now dump in the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the tomato juice.
Next - and this is important - in order to combat the acidity of the tomatoes add 4 tablespoons of sugar. Now, you’ll want to start on the low side, then taste and add more as needed. Some tomatoes and juice have more of an acidic bite than others.
Next, add 2 tablespoons chicken base to the pot.
Add the basil and parsley and stir.
Now you can add lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, then heat almost to a boil. Then turn off the heat.
Stir in the cream.
Add in the sherry if desired.