Cream Of Fresh Tomato Soup 14-Sep-2012

Tomato soup is a family favourite

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon good-quality olive oil
• 1½ cup chopped red onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
• 1½ tsp. sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
• 3 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Croutons, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots, and sauté about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

2. Add the cream to the soup. Process soup through a food mill (discarding only the dry pulp that remains) or run soup carefully through a blender. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with garnish of basil leaves and/or croutons.