Tomato Soup

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 Rinsing the tomatoes first is important to help remove any possible pesticide or bacteria. There have been many outbreaks of food borne illness and clean is always a good idea. For peeling the tomatoes, my next step, was to drop them in boiling water, then a quick ice bath. I peeled, cut, then cooked Roma tomatoes in a sauce pan with water, cloves, garlic, onion powder, a spash of rice wine vinegar, dash of red pepper, paprika, Heinz ketchup, salt and pepper. I made a roux in another pan with butter, flour and 2 % milk. I pureed the tomatoes and strained in a fine mesh strainer, before adding to the roux to finish. I tasted for seasoning and then added fresh basil to the top of my bowl.